NEXT STEP - Jurors now will move on to phase two in the Monsanto MDL bellwether case after finding yesterday that Roundup weed killer was a “substantial factor” in causing a Northern California man’s cancer. Ross Todd reports that in the trial’s second phase, which starts today, jurors will consider evidence regarding what the company knew about the herbicide’s carcinogenic properties, the company’s interactions with regulators and potential damages. Tuesday’s verdict is a big blow to Monsanto parent company Bayer AG, which last year was hit with a $289 million verdict in a Roundup case outside MDL.
IRKED - A federal judge in D.C. has chided government attorneys for delaying the implementation of her court order that reinstates Obama-era rules regarding employee compensation information. Erin Mulvaney reports that Judge Tanya Chutkan on Tuesday told DOJ and EEOC lawyers to provide her with a timeline for their plans to comply with her March 4 order pertaining to annual reporting of pay data based on gender, race and ethnicity from employers with more than 100 workers. “I am not in the business of running the EEOC nor do I want to set an unrealistic deadline. I can, but I don’t think you want me to do that,” the judge said.
