A California judge reduced a $2 billion Roundup verdict to a fraction of that amount on Thursday, but it’s Monsanto who is gearing up for an appeal.
Why? Because the judge refused to toss out the verdict altogether and, although she reduced the award to $86.7 million, she also found there was “clear and convincing evidence” that Monsanto’s actions were “reprehensible” and showed a “conscious disregard for health.” That finding, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Winifred Smith wrote, sufficiently warranted punitive damages, which she calculated at four times the compensatory damages.
