John Durnell c. Monsanto Co. et al.

1922-CC00221
No description
Final judgment
United States, Missouri

Individuals
John Durnell
Monsanto, Company
T. Roe Frazer of Frazer Plc, W. Wylie Blair of Onder Law and Isaac Conner of Manson, Johnson, Conner

Civil court
Jury
Glyphosate, Roundup, Herbicide
Recognizes that Monsanto knew of the carcinogenic risks of glyphosate, and that Monsanto concealed this information from the public to protect Roundup sales.
22nd Judicial Circuit of Missouri, United States
No description

October 20, 2023
Positive
No description
No description
No description

On October 20, 2023, the jury at the Saint Louis County Court in Missouri upheld the claim of John Durnell, a resident of the Soulard neighborhood in Saint Louis, to be compensated for developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after using Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide produced by Monsanto, acquired in 2018 by Bayer. Member of the Soulard Restoration Group, a citizens' initiative to promote and beautify the Soulard neighborhood, John Durnell had started using Roundup in 1996 to maintain the communal garden.

The 12-member jury unanimously agreed that there was a causal link between John Durnell's exposure to Roundup and the development of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, only nine of the jurors signed the verdict, the remaining three believing that the quantum of damages awarded to John Durnell, amounting to $1.25 million, was insufficient.

For OnderLaw attorney Wylie Blair, representing John Durnell, there is "new evidence that Monsanto's herbicide cocktail contains additional carcinogens, [which] does not bode well for Monsanto's decades-long claim that Roundup is safe. These carcinogenic chemicals include 1,4-dioxide, NNG, arsenic and formaldehyde. These chemicals alone, independently of glyphosate, can cause cancer".

This decision ends a series of victories for Monsanto in St Louis County Court on similar issues. Monsanto has stated its intention to appeal the verdict.