SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – A Northern California groundskeeper says he will accept a judge’s reduced verdict of $78 million against Monsanto after a jury found the company’s weed killer caused his cancer.
DeWayne Johnson’s attorney informed the San Francisco Superior Court on Wednesday.
Johnson could have demanded a new trial after Judge Suzanna Bolanos cut the jury’s original $289 million award.
Monsanto spokesman Daniel Childs did not immediately return a phone call. He previously said the company planned to appeal every adverse verdict. The company is facing 8,000 similar lawsuits across the country.
Johnson’s spokeswoman Robin McCall says his attorney disagrees with the judge’s settlement reduction, but will accept the lower amount in hopes of achieving “a final resolution within his lifetime.”
His doctor testified Johnson has less than three years to live.
