Bayer AG is trying to undo a $289 million verdict over Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller that it blames on misinformation fed to a jury, while also seeking to avoid having its next test cases go to trial on an accelerated schedule.
If the company can persuade a judge to erase or chip away at the nine-figure verdict -- the first case to go to a jury among 8,700 people in the U.S. who blame the popular herbicide for their cancer -- legal experts say some plaintiffs may be less eager to pursue their claims. Bayer is also fighting to prevent a "rush to trial after trial" that it says will disrupt the orderly flow of litigation if a judge in California applies a rule that allows sick or old plaintiffs to jump to the head of the line.
