Supreme Court heard case on how to label risks of popular weed killer

A French farmer sprays Roundup 720 glyphosate herbicide produced by U.S. agrochemical giant Monsanto in 2018 on a field of no-till corn in northwestern France. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard a dispute over labels on the popular Roundup pesticide, which thousands of plaintiffs blame for their cancers. Jean-Francois Monier/AFP via hide caption toggle caption Jean-Francois Monier/AFP via A divided U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard a dispute over labels on the popular Roundup weed killer, which thousands of people blame for their cancers. How the Supreme Court rules could have implications for tens of thousands of lawsuits against Roundup maker Monsanto, which is now owned by Bayer. The case centers on who decides about warning labels on chemicals: the federal government — or states or juries. The main plaintiff in Monday's case is John Durnell. Durnell in 2019 sued Monsanto in a state court in Missouri, alleging he contracted non-Hodgkin's lymphoma because of his 20-year exposure to glyphosate, a chemical included in the weed killer. Durnell regularly sprayed the weed killer throughout his neighborhood. A jury sided with Durnell on his claim that Monsanto had failed to properly warn users about risks, awarding him more than $1 million in damages. Missouri law bans the sale of dangerous pesticides that lack an "adequate warning," Durnell's lawyer Ashley Keller wrote. Keller says the key questions are for juries to decide. …