MDL Judge Reduces $75 Million Punitive Damage Verdict in Roundup Case

SAN FRANCISCO –– The judge overseeing the multidistrict litigation docket for Roundup personal injury claims has reduced a $75 million punitive damage verdict issued earlier this year, saying the size of the award was constitutionally impermissible.

In the July 15 pretrial order, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California reduced the damages to $20 million, concluding that “Monsanto deserves to be punished.”

“…[T]he evidence easily supported a conclusion that Monsanto was more concerned with tamping down safety inquiries and manipulating public opinion than it was with ensuring its product is safe,” the court opined.

In …