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A Georgia jury has ordered Monsanto to pay a staggering $2.1 billion to a man who claimed his prolonged use of the company’s Roundup weedkiller caused his cancer. The award, described by his attorneys as the largest single-plaintiff personal injury verdict in the state’s history, adds another high-profile defeat for Monsanto and its parent company, Bayer AG.

The plaintiff, John Barnes, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2020 after regularly using Roundup for two decades. His legal team argued that Monsanto engaged in a decades-long campaign to suppress the dangers of its product, alleging the company knew about cancer risks tied to Roundup’s ingredients as far back as the 1980s.

Monsanto to Appeal: Calls Verdict ‘Excessive’

Despite the massive payout, Monsanto has vowed to fight the decision, calling the verdict "excessive and unconstitutional." A company spokesperson insisted that the jury’s decision contradicts global scientific consensus.

"We disagree with the jury’s verdict, as it conflicts with the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence and the consensus of regulatory bodies and their scientific assessments worldwide," the spokesperson stated.

Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, also emphasized that the company has secured favorable rulings in 17 of its last 25 Roundup trials and continues to defend the safety of its product.

Decades-Long Legal Battle Over Roundup’s Alleged Cancer Risks

Monsanto has faced a barrage of lawsuits, with over 100,000 claims filed against the company regarding glyphosate, Roundup’s active ingredient. The latest $2.1 billion verdict follows a similar $2.25 billion judgment in Philadelphia last year, which was later reduced to $404 million after being deemed unconstitutionally excessive.

A Pattern of Multibillion-Dollar Verdicts

• In January 2024, a Philadelphia jury awarded a plaintiff $2.25 billion, but a judge later slashed the amount.

• Other Philadelphia juries have awarded $175 million and $3.5 million in similar Roundup-related cases.

• Juries in Missouri and Seattle have also issued multibillion-dollar verdicts against Monsanto.

Plaintiff’s Attorneys Accuse Monsanto of ‘Hiding the Science’

Barnes’ attorneys, Arnold & Itkin LLP and Kline & Specter PC, painted Monsanto as a company that knowingly misled the public about Roundup’s safety.

"Monsanto has spent 50 years trying to hide the science and what they knew about the toxicity of their product," said attorney Kyle Findley. He also criticized the company’s defense strategy, accusing it of using “hired-gun experts” to mislead the jury.

Monsanto Eyes U.S. Supreme Court Appeal

Bayer has signaled that it may escalate the fight to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that failure-to-warn claims regarding Roundup should be preempted by federal law.

As the legal battle intensifies, the massive verdict serves as yet another warning shot for Bayer and other chemical manufacturers facing mounting litigation over product safety.