Monsanto Roundup Trial Schedule

Updated April 2020

Monsanto Company (now Bayer) is facing tens of thousands of lawsuits across the United States filed by individuals who allege exposure to Roundup weed killer caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The first trial against Monsanto ended on August 10, 2018 with a unanimous jury verdict of $289 million for a Benicia, California school district groundskeeper, Dewayne “Lee” Johnson. The Johnson case is currently on appeal in the California State Court of Appeals.

The second case to go to trial ended with a $80 million verdict on behalf of Edwin Hardeman and the third case to go to trial against Monsanto resulted in a $2.055 billion verdict on behalf of an elderly couple (Alva and Alberta Pilliod) who both developed cancer after exposure to Roundup.

Most of the Roundup cancer lawsuits are filed in various state courts. Others are consolidated in a federal multi-district litigation (MDL) in Northern California.

Monsanto Roundup Trial Schedule for Cases Throughout the U.S.

Upcoming Monsanto Trial Dates

Completed Monsanto Roundup Cancer Trials

1. Johnson v. Monsanto began on 6/18/18 and ended on 8/10/2018 with a $289M verdict, later reduced to $78M. (First ever trial/CA state trial)
2. Hardeman v. Monsanto began on 2/25/2019 and ended on 3/27/2019 with a $80M verdict, later reduced to $25.2M. (First federal trial)
3. Pilliod et al., v. Monsanto – began on 3/28/2019 and ended on 5/13/2019 with a $2.055 billion verdict, later reduced to $86.7M. (First CA JCCP trial)

Federal Monsanto Roundup Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) Schedule

Federal MDL Roundup Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2741)
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
San Francisco, California
Lead Case No. 3:16-md-02741

#1 Federal trial –Hardeman v. Monsanto began 2/25/19 and ended on 3/27/2019 with a $80M verdict.

The Honorable Judge Vince Chhabria was the presiding judge. As of August 1, 2019, 3,600 plaintiffs with non-Hodgkin lymphoma have filed cases in federal courts across the country. These cases have been transferred and are consolidated before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Wisner Baum senior partner Michael Baum is a member of the Executive Committee for the Monsanto Roundup MDL.

The first Roundup MDL trial on behalf of Edwin Hardeman (case. no. 4:16-cv-00525-DMR / MDL Case No. 3:16-md-02741) began on Feb. 25, 2019 and ended on March 27, 2019 with a unanimous jury verdict of $80 million. Our firm assisted co-lead attorneys Aimee Miller and Jennifer Moore with the Hardeman trial as members of the MDL Executive Committee by presenting and preparing experts, corporate testimony and documents for the trial. Though he was not co-lead in the Hardeman case, Wisner Baum partner, Brent Wisner, presented one of the key fact witnesses for the plaintiff, Dr. Christopher Portier, and cross-examined many of Monsanto’s corporate witnesses during the Hardeman trial.

Monsanto Roundup Trial Schedule for State Court Cases

California

Very first Roundup cancer trial – Johnson v. Monsanto began on 6/18/18 and ended on 8/10/2018 with a $289M verdict.

The first ever Roundup cancer lawsuit to proceed to trial was for Dewayne “Lee “Johnson, a groundskeeper for the Benicia Unified School District in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mr. Johnson alleged exposure to Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer caused him to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Dewayne Johnson v. Monsanto Company (case no. CGC-16-550128) went to trial on June 18, 2018 and resulted in a $289 million verdict on August 10, 2018. The Miller Firm, Wisner Baum and Audet & Partners represented Mr. Johnson at trial. The trial took place at Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The jury found that Roundup was a substantial factor in causing Mr. Johnson’s cancer and also awarded punitive damages against Monsanto for failing to warn consumers that exposure to Roundup weed killer causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Lead trial attorney, R. Brent Wisner, served as co-lead trial counsel for Mr. Johnson and delivered the opening and closing statements at trial, as well as presenting most of the scientific evidence and cross-examining of Monsanto’s experts.

#1 CA JCCP trial – Pilliod v. Monsanto began on 3/28/2019 and ended on 5/13/2019 with a momentous verdict of $2.055 billion.

Roundup Judicial Council Coordination Proceedings (JCCP)
California Superior Court for the County of Alameda
Oakland, California
JCCP No. 4953