A San Francisco judge overseeing the first Roundup trial in federal court has agreed to separate out prospective jurors who know about this year’s groundbreaking $289 million verdict against Monsanto, according to a lawyer familiar with the decision.

Monsanto, facing trial in two months, had asked U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria of the Northern District of California to strike prospective jurors who might have “particularized knowledge” about the jury’s Aug. 10 award for plaintiff Dewayne “Lee” Johnson. Chhabria’s order, made at a Dec. 5 hearing, stopped short of Monsanto’s request but would allow for separate groups of jurors during voir dire based on whether they knew about the verdict.