School groundsman, 46, with weeks to live, is awarded $289M by jury that found weedkiller Roundup DID give him lymphoma - and says cash will support his wife, who works two jobs, and children when he dies

Dewayne Johnson, 46, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2014

Worked a school groundskeeper in California and sprayed Roundup every day

Ingredient glyphosate listed by the World Health Organization as cancerous

Monsanto said it will appeal the verdict and studies prove their product is safe

Could open the door to hundreds of additional lawsuits against the company

Johnson, who may have just weeks to live, won't get money until appeal finished

May use money to help wife who works two jobs for 14 hours a day, lawyer said

Lawyers want court to speed up appeal to money will be available before death

By MIA DE GRAAF HEALTH EDITOR FOR
DAILYMAIL.COM and MARY KEKATOS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 23:06 BST, 10 August 2018 | UPDATED: 08:23 BST, 11 August 2018

Roundup does cause cancer, a jury has declared in an unprecedented trial into the health dangers of Monsanto's weedkiller.

After three days of deliberations, jurors on Friday sided with terminally-ill groundsman Dewayne Johnson, 46, who has just weeks to live, awarding him $250 million in punitive damages, plus nearly $40m in compensatory damages, bringing the total to $289m.

Specifically, in eight weeks of proceedings, the jury was left convinced that Monsanto's product caused Johnson's cancer.

Addressing a press conference on Friday evening, Johnson thanked his legal team, his wife, Araceli, and their two sons.

'It’s taken a lot of prayer, I’ve taken energy from a lot of people. I’m glad to be here to help. Hopefully this thing will start to get the attention it needs. This case is way bigger than me,' he said.

Johnson's wife spends 14 hours a day working two jobs, lawyer Brent Wisner told the press conference. She was working when her husband's verdict came through, he added.

When Johnson's compensation is released he hopes to use it to enable his to spend more time with him and their children, Wisner said. He may also use it to fund a bone marrow transplant.

Monsanto will appeal the verdict and the compensation will only be released when this has been heard. Johnson's lawyers will ask the appellate court to speed up the appeal so the money can be released while their client is still alive.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6049007/Roundup-cancerous...