Bayer AG has asked a federal judge to toss last month’s $265 million verdict, insisting that the jury found no evidence that Monsanto Co.’s dicamba herbicide caused economic damages to a peach farmer’s orchard.
In a motion for judgment or new trial filed on Friday, Bayer said the jury relied on a “novel theory of liability” under Missouri law in finding Monsanto liable. In a separate motion, Bayer called the jury’s $250 million in punitive damages excessive, unconstitutional and “the result of passion and prejudice,” with statements comparing Monsanto “with violent criminals” and disclosing the company’s net worth.
