Judge Reduces $250 Million Award in Monsanto Cancer Lawsuit

A San Francisco judge reduced the punitive damages in a lawsuit against weed killer manufacturer Monsanto from $250 million to $39.2 million, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. A former groundskeeper was awarded the large sum by a jury earlier this year after he developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, allegedly from his years of spraying highly concentrated Roundup weed killer. Superior Court Judge Suzanne Bolanos reduced 46-year-old Dewayne “Lee” Johnson’s award so he would receive a total of $78.5 million in compensatory and punitive damages for being exposed to herbicide glyphosate. Judge Bolanos reportedly remarked that the reduced compensatory damages were “extremely high” for one plaintiff but agreed to leave the number be. In Johnson’s four years working as a groundskeeper at Benicia Unified School District, he was allegedly exposed to sprays of weed killer despite wearing protective gear and was soaked twice when the equipment broke. Johnson developed rashes, welts, and lesions, and was diagnosed with a more aggressive form of cancer after his initial diagnosis in 2014. One of his doctors reportedly testified that it is unlikely he will survive until 2020. Johnson reportedly has until Dec. 7 to decide if he’ll accept the $78.5 million.