While I feel terrible that the guy is dying, my understanding is that there is no definitive evidence that proves the weedkiller Roundup is at fault OR not. What do you expect from a San Francisco jury. A tad excessive of an award, no???
I use roundup. Everybody does. How come we aren’t all dying of cancer?
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The guy apparently was using it I guess everyday in large quantities on school grounds. Still, I don’t understand how Monsanto can be slapped so badly when again it is not definitive that the ingredient glyphosate is responsible for his cancer.
There is a large part of the public that hates Monsanto. GMO food scares people. There is just a large irrational fear of science and chemicals
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Bayer (owner of Monsanto) stock is feeling it…
It’s just a jury verdict. Appeals court can still change the judgement.
I think jury system is the reason for the high healthcare cost, high rent and many American problems. Is it possible to repeal jury system?
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do you have any proof to that 
Proof of what? Jury system is the worst, a huge boost to legal costs. Without jury, most people can afford lawsuit and the judgement would be more predictable. With some ransom jury, nobody can afford the high trial cost and the unpredictable lunatic juries, so many people jsut settle the suit and pay good money to bad guys
the proof that this is the reason for high health care costs?
Lawsuit is one of the most important reasons for high cost. Without that much lawsuit, cost would be lower.
If I am a small drug manufacturer, I will charge double price in USA, and charge 4x price in California to account for the legal cost and legal risk. That’ll be one proof
Drug companies charge significantly less abroad.
It’s more about what the market would bear.
How do you know lawsuit is not a reason? I would rather sell weed killer in Canada than USA, so I would change Canadians less money for their sensibility.
I am trying to find sources. I would agree with legal costs, but i’d think they’d be 1. IP protection legal costs and 2. FDA/process legal cost. Compared to these two, i don’t believe damage suits are significant, but i don’t know so there’s that.
American health care is screwed up because the price signals are buried. You are not paying for drugs. Your insurance is. You are not even paying for insurance. Your employer is. Customers are twice removed from pricing. Plus no one knows how much anything cost exactly in healthcare.
Healthcare has high information asymmetry. It’s not like shopping for grocery. Average customers, even highly educated ones, can’t fully understand the ins and outs of medical treatments. Is drug A that costs 2x as drug B really worth it? With such asymmetry we need strong legislation to protect customers.
Lawsuits has nothing to do with anything.
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But having served too many jury trials, I must agree that jurors can be sooo lame. Come on, $290 MILLION DOLLARS??? I would love to understand how they arrived at that figure…
they used 20 atherton price as the gauge.
Regardless of how they arrived at this, it’s a deterrent.
No, but just like the infamous McDonald’s hot coffee case (remember that one?) the judge came back and lowered the award if I remember correctly. Why can’t the judge do the same here?
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They can, and probably will.
Then why allow jury trial at all? Why are there so many jury trials in California? Is there are anything to do with state constitution?
California has too many lawsuits. Need to stop
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Still like Round-Up?
The problem is the stuff doesn’t go away and will end up in oceans or in food.
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