Bayer Gets Leg Up in Case Over Weedkiller -- WSJ
January 05 2019 - 3:02AM
Dow Jones News
By Ruth Bender and Donato Paolo Mancini
This article is being republished as part of our daily
reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S.
print edition of The Wall Street Journal (January 5, 2019).
BERLIN -- Bayer AG shares rose by more than 6% Friday after the
German chemicals company scored a court victory in the run-up to
jury trials over whether Monsanto Co. weedkillers can cause
cancer.
Bayer closed its $63 billion takeover of Monsanto last year,
inheriting the St. Louis-based company's Roundup weedkillers as
well as potential legal liabilities.
U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria granted a request late
Thursday from Bayer to stagger the submission of evidence in
so-called bellwether trials, potentially limiting the evidence
presented by the plaintiff's lawyers to the jury. Bellwether cases
are selected to test arguments and gauge possible recoveries for
other similarly situated plaintiffs in an attempt to reach a
large-scale resolution.
The judge's approval for "bifurcation" essentially splits the
trial into two phases. Now lawyers for the plaintiff in the first
bellwether case must demonstrate that the chemical glyphosate in
the weedkillers caused his cancer before they can present evidence
that manufacturer Monsanto acted with malice.
The case of Edwin Hardeman, a California resident who developed
non-Hodgkin lymphoma, is set to go to trial in February. He is one
of 1,654 plaintiffs nationwide whose cases have been consolidated
in this multidistrict litigation.
Thursday's court ruling represents a small success in Bayer's
efforts to focus the proceedings on the science behind claims that
glyphosate can cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which it denies. The
company has argued that a previous jury verdict that went against
Monsanto was overly based on emotion.
"We welcome the court's decision to focus the trial on the
extensive scientific findings that are relevant for human health
and confirm the safety of glyphosate," Bayer said in a statement.
"It's an encouraging signal and a step toward a rationalization of
the discussion."
Bayer has vigorously defended its recently acquired weedkillers
ever since a San Francisco jury in August found that the Monsanto
products were responsible for causing a man's cancer and that
Monsanto knew or should have known of potential risks and failed to
warn consumers.
Bayer has repeatedly pointed to scientific evidence and
regulatory decisions that established glyphosate was safe to
use.
That court decision, weeks after Bayer completed its acquisition
of Monsanto, sent Bayer's shares plummeting as investors grew
concerned about the legal exposure the company had inherited. Since
that time Bayer has shed more than 30% of its market
capitalization.
Analysts and investors will be closely watching the coming
trials for clues about the outcome and the scale of the potential
costs for Bayer.
The first federal court trial, with Mr. Hardeman as plaintiff,
will kick off on Feb. 25 before the U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of California. Thursday's order applies to that
proceeding and two other bellwether trials set to start later in
2019.
"This is a reasonably significant development, in our view,
because this was not done in the first case that Bayer lost, where
the jury was presented with evidence that will now only be allowed
in phase two," UBS analyst Michael Leuchten said in research
note.
Judge Chhabria said that while a bifurcation order in court
trials is unusual and should be granted with caution, it was
warranted in this case. He said a significant portion of the
plaintiff's argument involves attacks on Monsanto for attempting to
influence regulators and manipulate public opinion.
While such actions if substantiated could expose the company to
punitive damages and liability, their discussion would be a
distraction when trying to establish whether glyphosate caused the
plaintiff's disease, the judge said.
"We want you focusing on the science," Judge Chhabria told an
attorney for the plaintiffs during a hearing Friday, not
"mischaracterizing statements Monsanto executives have made" --
something the judge said the attorney did Friday.
Aimee Wagstaff of Andrus Wagstaff, one of the co-lead counsel in
the consolidated federal case against Bayer, said the bifurcation
order wouldn't change the scientific evidence, which she says
remains in plaintiffs' favor.
"We are ready to take this case to trial," Ms. Wagstaff said in
an email. "We are confident the jury will learn the truth and give
Mr. Hardeman the justice he deserves," she said.
--Sara Randazzo contributed to this article.
Write to Ruth Bender at Ruth.Bender@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 05, 2019 02:47 ET (07:47 GMT)
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