In Delaware Superior Court, lawyers representing the family of a South Carolina man whose cancer death was attributed to prolonged use of Monsanto Corp.'s Roundup herbicide requested $142 million in punitive damages.
The victim, who passed away from non-Hodgkins lymphoma shortly after the lawsuit was initiated in 2021, had been employed as a groundskeeper for over a decade at the White Oak Conference Center and Christian Campgrounds, where he regularly used a concentrated form of Roundup. The lawsuit asserts that Monsanto failed to adequately warn consumers about the herbicide's potential health risks, including its alleged carcinogenic properties, despite its widespread use globally since the 1970s. The victim's widow and son are also seeking over $1.5 million in damages, alleging that Monsanto paid a public relations firm to conceal their actions and suppress evidence of Roundup's dangers.
During closing arguments, the plaintiff's attorney asserted that Roundup has been scientifically proven to cause cancer, and accused Monsanto of deliberately disregarding these findings. However, Monsanto's counsel countered these claims, arguing that the company neither suppressed nor ignored adverse findings regarding Roundup's safety. The defense maintained that the jurors had been presented with extensive scientific evidence supporting the safety of Roundup, challenging the assertions made by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) regarding its carcinogenic potential. The case in question encompasses multiple theories of liability under South Carolina law, including strict liability for design defects, failure to warn, negligence, fraud, fraudulent concealment, and breach of implied and express warranties.