Nine cases have already been tried, leading to more than $1 billion in damages awarded against Pharmacia LLC, a spinoff of Monsanto. Monsanto has appealed all of its losses. In May, the Washington Court of Appeals agreed to overturn the $185 million verdict for Kerry Erickson, a teacher from Sky Valley, and three others, delivered in the first trial in 2021. The Washington Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal, with oral arguments set for February 11.
On Wednesday, deliberations began for the tenth trial, featuring the largest group of plaintiffs yet—15 individuals who are seeking $4.14 billion in damages, both compensatory and punitive. In an effort to streamline the trial process, Judge Rogers solicited proposals from both sides to shorten the duration of the cases, noting that continuing with the current pace of approximately 14 plaintiffs per trial would stretch litigation until 2037. He added that pursuing individual trials for each plaintiff could drag on for as long as 45 years.
