California Court Upholds Verdict in Monsanto Cancer Case

California Court Upholds Verdict in Monsanto Cancer Case
Plaintiff DeWayne Johnson looks on at the start of the Monsanto trial in San Francisco, Calif., on July, 9, 2018. Josh Edelson/Pool via Reuters
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SAN FRANCISCO—A California appeals court on Monday upheld a groundbreaking verdict that Monsanto’s widely used weed killer caused cancer in a school groundskeeper but the panel also slashed the damage award from $78.5 million to $21.5 million.

The 1st District Court of Appeal said there was evidence to support a California jury’s 2018 decision that “Monsanto acted with a conscious disregard for public safety,” but it reduced the damages to Dewayne Johnson of Vallejo because state law doesn’t allow damages for reduced life expectancy, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.