Bayer has had its hands full with legal issues stemming from its weed killer products. The company faces billions of dollars in liability due to tens of thousands of lawsuits brought against for Roundup side effects and complications. These are personal injury claims in which the plaintiffs allege that they contracted cancer due to their exposure to Roundup. Now, another of Bayer’s products has been found by a jury to be responsible for a different kind of harm.
Specifically, a jury in Missouri has awarded a farmer $265 million based on claims that a weed killer made by Bayer and BASF destroyed the man’s peach crop. For Bayer, this represents another legal blow to a company that is reportedly deep in negotiations to settle the Roundup lawsuits.
The plaintiff owns one of the largest peach farms in Missouri. His orchard is thousands of acres and is located near several other farms. The farmers on these plots of land were using herbicide that contained an ingredient known as dicamba. This is a potent ingredient that many believe does not stay localized to the area in which it is used.