Man awarded $80M in lawsuit claiming Roundup causes cancer

SAN FRANCISCO — A U.S. jury has awarded $80 million in damages to a California man in a high-stakes trial over his claim that Roundup weed killer caused his cancer.

The six-person jury in San Francisco returned the amount for 70-year-old Edwin Hardeman on Wednesday. The same jury previously found that Roundup was a substantial factor in his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Agribusiness giant Monsanto is facing thousands of similar lawsuits nationwide. Monsanto says studies have established that the active ingredient in its widely used weed killer is safe.

A different jury in August awarded another man $289 million. A judge later slashed the award to $78 million, and Monsanto has appealed.

Hardeman's case may be more significant because the judge is overseeing hundreds of Roundup lawsuits and has deemed it a "bellwether trial."

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Associated Press