A California trial between an elderly cancer victim and Monsanto owner Bayer AG switched to virtual proceedings in late August due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19.
Technical Difficulties for the Virtual Trial
On the first day, thanks to various technical problems, lawyers for plaintiff Donnetta Stephens only presented abbreviated testimony from Charles Benbrook. Benbrook is a former research professor who was once the executive director of the National Academy of Sciences agriculture board. As a key witness, he testified about topics including the history of scientific submissions to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by Monsanto as well as failed regulatory shortcomings.
Unfortunately, the proceedings for Stephens indicated that both sides may be significantly challenged in trying to share evidence and testimony in a virtual format. Some issues faced during this first session include: a court reporter who couldn’t fully hear the exchanges between lawyer and witness; jurors who had trouble using their computer cameras (a requirement); and poor audio transmission for Judge Gilbert Ochoa. Despite the technical difficulties, the judge noted that they made history by holding the court’s “first Zoom trial.”
The History of Bayer Roundup Trials
The case is being tried in the Superior Court of San Bernardino County in California. It is the fourth Roundup cancer trial to take place in the United States — the first since 2019. For the three previous trials, juries ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. They agreed that Monsanto’s glyphosate-based weed killers, including Roundup, cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma and that Monsanto spent years hiding the risks and failing to warn consumers.
Tens of thousands of plaintiffs filed lawsuits against Monsanto after the World Health Organization’s cancer experts determined that glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen with a link to non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
For more information about lawsuits related to Roundup, contact us today.
Tracy Everhart
Tracy Everhart is the Editor for Drug Law Journal. A highly-trained and certified medical professional, Tracy is also an accomplished medical writer. After spending years on the front lines of the medical profession, Tracy now devotes her expertise and skills to researching and reporting on new drugs and devices that enter the market, as well as their side-effects and the real-life stories involved. Prior to joining Drug Law Journal, Tracy wrote for benchmark online healthcare resources focused on families and, in particular, women’s health issues. Tracy holds post-graduate degrees from both the American College of Healthcare Sciences and the Yale School of Nursing. She is also a graduate of both Hampshire College, where she studied microbiology and the University of South Carolina school of nursing.