After an eventful, month-long trial, it took a state court jury in Medford, Oregon, less than an hour and a half last week to return a complete defense verdict for Monsanto in the latest trial over whether the company’s blockbuster weedkiller RoundUp causes cancer.

Our Litigators of the Week – Monsanto’s lawyers George Lombardi of Winston & Strawn and Jennifer Lee of Husch Blackwell – only needed to persuade nine jurors, but convinced all 12 to reject claims brought on behalf of Larry Johnson, an Oregon man who had used RoundUp around his residence since the 1970s. Jurors found Johnson’s lawyers failed to prove RoundUp caused his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of blood cancer he was diagnosed with in September 2019, or Monsanto was negligent. The win, which came after both lead lawyers tested positive for COVID during trial, marked the fourth straight defense win for the company in Roundup cases.