Pay up, Monsanto, to the tune of over $289 million dollars for your years of lies and coverups regarding the use of Roundup. And, thank you to the California jury who returned a verdict against the herbicide giant on August 10, 2018, and sent a clear message that the game is up and consumer safety comes first before profits.
Tell that to Lee Johnson, the innocent groundskeeper for Benicia Unified School District whose exposure to the Roundup herbicide while working caused him to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a terminal diagnosis.
The jury unanimously ruled that Monsanto’s glyphosate used in Roundup directly caused this deadly cancer to Mr. Johnson, and that Monsanto should be punished for their failure to warn of this severe health hazard.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer, the world’s foremost authority on cancer, listed glyphosate as a probable carcinogen in 2015. But, in spite of this, Monsanto refused to warn consumers of the dangers of its billion-dollar darling.
The jury also found that Monsanto acted with malice, oppression and fraud, and now they get to begin paying up as a result of the first case of its kind to proceed to trial. Besides Lee Johnson, there are 4000 others across the country who have filed suits against Monsanto based on allegations linking Roundup to cancer.
The jury was shown secret, internal Monsanto documents that proved they knew for years that glyphosate, and specifically Roundup, would cause cancer. Yet, Monsanto covered up for years, claiming that there was no evidence that Roundup caused cancer. Testimony revealed that Monsanto employees wrote scientific articles and paid outside scientists to publish these sham articles in their name.
Shame on you, Monsanto.
Further documents revealed that Monsanto also knew that its testing for safety was insufficient and that when glyphosate was combined with surfactants in Roundup it helped glyphosate penetrate both animal and plant cell walls.
If something about glyphosate penetrating cell walls sends a cold chill down your spine—it should.
Be aware, the present-day GMO crops of corn, soy and cotton, along with others, are literally doused in this deadly Roundup product. And then you eat the corn and soy products, cottonseed oils, and wear the cotton fabrics next to your skin.
Yes, you should be scared.
Monsanto refused to respond to Mr. Johnson’s inquiries regarding his use of Roundup and if there was any connection between it and the skin lesions that were breaking out on his body. Since he heard nothing, he continued using the product on the school grounds, unaware of the harm it would do to others.
In Mr. Johnson’s words, “It’s unethical. It’s wrong. People don’t deserve that.”
When California’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listed glyphosate as a carcinogen, Monsanto replied by calling Californians “liberals and morons” whom they had to take out one at a time.
I’m speechless. But, I can say this… With every one of the growing 4000 Roundup cancer litigation cases nationwide coming your way, Monsanto, may karmic justice prevail and take YOU out, one settlement against you at a time.
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