Monsanto Judge Says Expert Testimony Against Roundup Is ‘Shaky’
- Judge calls epidemiology ‘loosey-goosey,’ highly subjective
- Key witnesses cut from lineup will shape outcome of lawsuits
Bottles of Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer.
Photographer: Jasper Juinen/Bloomberg
A lawsuit claiming Monsanto Co.’s popular weed killer Roundup causes cancer was dealt a blow by a judge’s conclusions that the opinions of the experts testifying against it are "shaky," a potentially devastating development for the case getting to trial.
U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria is the first judge to weigh in on the toxicity of the world’s most popular herbicide, the subject of a heated debate among scientists and regulators worldwide for more than 30 years. Any key witnesses who are cut from the lineup may profoundly shape the outcome of more than 300 lawsuits collected before the judge -- all the cases in federal courts that seek to hold Monsanto liable for its failure to warn about the risks of using Roundup.