The Supreme Court hears arguments tomorrow in Monsanto v. Durnell a case that could gut the ability of Americans to sue pesticide makers for cancer.
John Durnell spent years spraying Roundup in his St. Louis neighborhood without protective gear because he had no idea it could cause cancer. He later developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma and won a $1.25 million jury verdict against Monsanto for failing to warn him of the risks.
Monsanto wants that thrown out. Their argument a 1972 federal law gives the EPA sole authority over pesticide labels, meaning states can’t require additional cancer warnings even if people are getting sick.
The Trump administration is siding with Monsanto. If the court agrees, it could wipe out more than 100,000 pending lawsuits from cancer patients who say Roundup made them sick.
Both red and blue states have united against Monsanto in this case one of the more unusual political alignments you’ll see at the Supreme Court.
The WHO classified glyphosate as a probable carcinogen in 2015. Monsanto has already paid over $11 billion settling cases. Now they want the court to make sure they never have to pay again.
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