In a significant legal setback, a Washington state jury has ordered Monsanto to pay $857 million to seven former students and parent volunteers of the Sky Valley Education Centre in Monroe, Washington. The plaintiffs claimed that exposure to chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from light fixtures made by Monsanto caused neurological, endocrine system, and other health issues.
The jury found Monsanto liable for selling unsafe PCBs without adequate warnings, awarding $73 million in compensatory damages and $784 million in punitive damages. Monsanto, now part of Bayer, plans to challenge the verdict, deeming the award “constitutionally excessive” and asserting its intention to seek a decision overturn or damages reduction. The U.S. Supreme Court typically suggests capping punitive damages at nine times compensatory damages to uphold due process rights.
This verdict is the latest in a series of legal setbacks for Monsanto, already facing $870 million in verdicts related to alleged PCB exposure at the Sky Valley centre from other cases. The company is currently appealing those previous decisions, maintaining that tests conducted on blood, air, and other factors show employees were not exposed to unsafe PCB levels at the school. PCBs, widely used for insulating electrical equipment and common products, were banned by the U.S. government in 1979 due to their links to cancer, and Monsanto ceased PCB production in 1977.
The lawsuits against Monsanto allege that exposure to PCBs at the Sky Valley centre led to various health problems, including cancer and thyroid conditions. Monsanto contends that the school was repeatedly warned since the 1990s about the need to retrofit its light fixtures, assertions allegedly ignored by the school.
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