Monsanto Ordered to Settle $100M for Chemical Exposure Damages

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Monsanto was ordered to settle $100 million to four people who claimed to have developed various health issues from a chemical exposure
• 4 out of 15 plaintiffs will receive $25 million each for damages
• Monsanto said it would pursue an appeal if necessary to overturn the verdict for the four plaintiffs or reduce the damages.

A Washington judge ordered biotechnology corporation Monsanto to pay $100 million in damages to four people who claimed to have developed various health issues from a chemical exposure.

A report citing the lawsuit said that 15 plaintiffs contracted various health issues from getting exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at a school facility in Washington.

Only four individuals, however, received $25 million each in compensatory damages.

According to the plaintiffs, the PCBs in aging light fixtures at the Sky Valley Education Center caused them various illnesses.

The court order said that Monsanto injured the plaintiffs by supplying an unsafe and defectively designed product and by failing to provide adequate warnings or instructions.

The court also awarded $75 million in punitive damages after finding that the company harmed the plaintiffs by intentionally misrepresenting facts or concealing information about PCBs.

Pharmacia LLC, a corporate spinoff Monsanto agreed to defend, was the lone defendant in the case.

A person holding a laboratory flask. Photo by Chokniti Khongchum on Pexels

Can’t be held liable

Monsanto argued that it could not be held liable under Washington’s statute of repose, which says that a manufacturer cannot be held liable for harm caused beyond the useful safe life of a product.

The plaintiffs included 15 individuals from five families who argued that PCB exposure had caused them to suffer a variety of health problems, including brain and gastrointestinal injuries and nervous system issues.

According to the company, it was pleased that the jury had ruled in its favor versus the 11 other plaintiffs. It said it would pursue an appeal if necessary to overturn the verdict for the four plaintiffs or reduce the damages.

In November 2023, a jury ordered Pharmacia to pay $165 million to a group of former Sky Valley Education Center employees after similarly ruling that the company was liable for selling an unsafe product without providing adequate warnings.