Former Monsanto chairman and CEO Hugh Grant has been ordered to testify at a Roundup trial in St. Louis next month.
This will be the first time Grant will be required to testify claims saying the company failed to warn consumers about the cancer risk Roundup could cause. There have been three Roundup cancer trials that have taken place already and Grant was not ordered to testify at those as they were held in California.
Bayer, which bought Monsanto in 2018, is currently facing tens of thousands of Roundup lawsuits nationwide all involving the herbicides cancer-causing risks.
Grant had been CEO of Monsanto from 2002 until it was bought by Bayer and he had worked at the company for 37 years.
According to Sustainable Pulse, attorneys for Grant have been fighting the subpoena, arguing that he is not a scientist or regulatory expert and he has already provided information in deposition testimony. Grant has also argued that he should not have to testify because he plans to be out of the country starting February 9.
Over his protests, former Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant is ordered to testify in person at a January Roundup cancer trial; Also appellate court says appeal for first plaintiff to win – Dewayne “Lee” Johnson is delayed until spring via @USRightToKnow https://t.co/vilZ8k2dRr
— carey gillam (@careygillam) December 7, 2019
A special master appointed to this particular St. Louis case, however, did not give Grant to not abide by the subpoena given to him. “Although Mr. Grant does not have scientific knowledge that doubtless will be a significant component to this lawsuit, he was CEO of Monsanto for 15 years and took part in presentations, discussions, interviews and other appearances for Monsanto as CEO in which the topics of Roundup and glyphosate were explained, discussed and defended,” said Special Master Thomas Prebil.
Bayer, and Monsanto, still continue to claim their products’ safety even though the company has not been successful in convincing a jury yet. The company has been slammed with massive verdicts in each case held so far linking the company with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
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