Monsanto loses!!!

A unanimous jury in San Francisco awarded Mr. Dwayne Johnson $USM289. in damages, including $US250. in punitive damages from the Monsanto Corporation for causing his terminal cancer. The best reporting I have found so far is from the BBC, naturally. Our own esteemed Lame Stream Media only just barely mentioned this trial, and only towards the last few days when it was becoming apparent that Big M was in trouble.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45152546

Mr. Johnson's case is the first of some 5000 against Monsatan which are waiting to be heard.

BTW, two weeks before the trial was set to start, the lead attorney was injured in a hang gliding accident. hmm You can believe it was a bona fide accident if you want to.

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Lenzabi's picture

While I am pleased to see Monstersanto take such a hit, I am also sad for the still real loser, Mr. Johnson as he may not live very long unless his cancer goes to remission.

Monsanto swings a lot of influence as their attorney has been in charge of the FDA at times. Another fox in the hen-house so to speak.

But yes! Good on Mr. Johnson for that win, it hits Monsanto and hopefully puts them on stand to go and maybe be less dickish in their practices, but I will not hold my breath.

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So long, and thanks for all the fish

Great background information on the case. This interview was just prior to the verdict.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCCDXR6XT1o width:640 height:360]

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@coolepairc I may start watching Watching the Hawks daily. Mr. Ventura Jr. is a very good interviewer.

There is a case coming up in state court in St. Louis. In that case, Monsanto employees will have to testify under oath, which until now has apparently not ever happened.

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Mary Bennett

edg's picture

Monsanto is building a big greenhouse facility a few miles away from me here in Marana, Arizona. They claim it's for corn research, 1/2 traditional and 1/2 (ha!) GMO, but some think it's for GMO marijuana to facilitate their new owner Bayer's push into the medical and recreational marijuana market.

Some local farmers aren't too happy about Monsanto being so close. Surprisingly, in spite of being desert-like, the area around here is used to grow many crops, including extra-long staple cotton. Pima cotton is named after the local Native American Pima people. Also, the name of the county here, which includes Tucson.

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@edg I mean, if the farmers don't like it...farmers usually have influence on local govts. Maybe it is time for you citizens to review the permitting process?

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Mary Bennett

edg's picture

@Nastarana

Approved by the Pima County Board of Supervisors. They were going to give Monsanto a tax break for building here but citizen uproar quashed that handout. The farmers are split; many grow GMO crops or use Roundup and are pro-Monsanto, others grow organic and hate Monsanto. Unfortunately, the organic farmers got drowned out. I suspect some favors and under-the-table money got passed around, too.

It also didn't hurt that they're crafty little buggers. There are 2 parts to Marana -- the town and the unincorporated section. Monsanto is building on the unincorporated side of the road that is the town's western boundary. If they'd tried to locate in the town, resistance would've been fierce and the town council wouldn't have approved. Out in the unincorporated part of Marana, though, approval is only needed from the county board and that was a slam dunk.

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mimi's picture

@edg
under its control. If you work for them in their warehouse, they don't give you protective gear. They ask their workers to buy it on their own cost. It's the little things that reveal the most.

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k9disc's picture

I don't think there is anyway in hell SCOTUS will make Bayer's stockholders pay for Monsanto's malfeasance. Not gonna happen.

The future is going to be corporate orgy of roiling snakes.

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“Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~ Sun Tzu

thanatokephaloides's picture

@k9disc

IG Farben... erm, Bayer, Will Dismantle It and Spin It Off

I don't think there is anyway in hell SCOTUS will make Bayer's stockholders pay for Monsanto's malfeasance. Not gonna happen.

Aww, Bayer's chemicals have always been so good for us as a society.....

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

@k9disc I foresee a divorce in the not to distant future.

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Mary Bennett

k9disc's picture

breakup?

I'll bet anyone here a beer that Bayer pays nada and keeps the goods.

@Nastarana

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“Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~ Sun Tzu

k9disc's picture

Monsanto shit.

Like open source it.

I guess it is a little scary on the front end, as I'm sure it's not healthy stuff, but it does keep us from being force-fed their shit only.
@k9disc

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“Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~ Sun Tzu

@k9disc companies can have their charters revoked for bad behavior. The fact that it never happens doesn't mean it shouldn't happen.

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Mary Bennett

snoopydawg's picture

But the bad news is that there are many other companies that are doing what they did. One example is the fertilizers that people spread on their lawns or the people who work for those companies. You've seen the trucks full of chemicals and the guy uses a wand that is connected to a hose and they aren't wearing masks. I watched a guy riding a little tractor type machine that was spreading fertilizer at the cemetery. The spray came out of the front of it and then he rode through it without a mask on or any other protection. How many people are doing daily that across the globe?

Then those chemicals get flushed into the water that we use for drinking and who knows if it gets filtered out during processing? 3 of Utah's lakes are closed to swimming because of the algae that is full of toxic crap from what farmers spray on their crops. Going off topic, but then there's the waste ponds at the huge factory farms that full of animal waste which continually break and ends up in our waters or evaporates and then who knows what happens to it?

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

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Deja's picture

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MarilynW's picture

@Linda Wood
My predictions:
November elections will curtail Trump's power. 2020 will be the end of his disastrous admin. It will take years to undo the harm that it has done to the country and its landscape but hope springs eternal.

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To thine own self be true.

@MarilynW
indicates the Monsanto personnel became part of our government during the Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations, so I take your comment to mean we can hope the Trump administration will end soon, but not that we would hope for a return of the same criminal organization.

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@Linda Wood say that the Democratic Party is no friend to those of us who would like to have a clean and sustainable food supply in this country.

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Mary Bennett

@Nastarana The system we are in is driven by the self proclaimed gods of the world. Their food is plated in 5 star restaurants. Their menus do not speak of shortage. A foo foo restaurant order I've almost heard... May I suggest the excellent end of the world steak and liver saute? It is very rich in peasant blood with just a hint of pope potpourri. Our vintage sweat of Che' red goes well with the palestine stolen olives as an aperitif.

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TheOtherMaven's picture

@Linda Wood

In fact they are very often synonymous.

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There is no justice. There can be no peace.

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

travelerxxx's picture

@The Voice In the Wilderness

From the original BBC article:

Following an eight-week trial, the jury ordered the agricultural multi-national to pay $250m in punitive damages together with other costs that brought the total figure to almost $290m.

That's millions of dollars. Almost real money - even to Monsanto.

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@travelerxxx of which $250,000,000. was punitive damages.

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Mary Bennett

travelerxxx's picture

@Nastarana

Yep. You right.

Confusing to this simple mind.

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@travelerxxx

$USM289. in damages, including $US250
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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

@The Voice In the Wilderness Apologies to all.

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Mary Bennett

@Nastarana
I make plenty of typos myself.

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

MarilynW's picture

We want our Monarch butterflies etc. to survive this beast of Monsanto.

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To thine own self be true.

@MarilynW

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

LeChienHarry's picture

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You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again you did not know. ~ William Wiberforce

If you can donate, please! POP Money is available for bank-to-bank transfers. Email JtC to make a monthly donation.

@LeChienHarry However, I am beginning to wonder if the International Oligarchy is in the process of deciding that Monsatan has outlived its usefulness. That dream of controlling the world's food supply seems to be turning to be a lot more expensive than anyone expected.

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Mary Bennett