Final sentence for Monsanto in France.
The subsidiary of the German group Bayer saw its appeal rejected in the case against a Charente farmer, Paul François, intoxicated after inhaling vapors of the herbicide Lasso.
Without commenting on the very toxicity of the product, the courts considered that the industrialist should have pointed out the specific danger of using it in the event of “work in tanks and reservoirs”.
The incident dates back to April 2004. At the time, the cereal producer inhaled vapors of the herbicide when opening a tank during an application.
After several illnesses, the man had been hospitalized for a long time, almost to the point of death.
He claims to suffer from serious neurological disorders.
His pathology being recognized as an occupational disease, Paul François began in 2007 his criminal proceedings against Monsanto, in the meantime acquired by Bayer.
Chance of the calendar?
It was on this date that the Lasso was banned in France, just as it had been banned from Canada in 1985 and from Belgium in 1992.
Paul François has always won his case
Since the opening of his legal proceedings, Paul François has always won his case on the merits.
Thus, the justice had ruled in his favor at first instance in 2012 and then on appeal in 2015, but Monsanto appealed for the first time in cassation and the case had been referred to the Lyon Court of Appeal.
In their judgment rendered in April 2019, the judges had recognized the global giant responsible for the damage caused to Paul François on the basis of "liability for defective products".
The Court of Cassation, the highest French court, having rejected Wednesday the second appeal formulated by Bayer, the justice must now rule on the damages generated by this sentence.
Paul François claims more than 1 million euros.