BAYRY - Bayer BASF win new trial on $60M damage award in weedkiller lawsuit

Bayer ( OTCPK:BAYRY ) and BASF ( OTCQX:BASFY ) won a new trial on a $60M damage award they had been ordered to pay a Missouri farmer who said the dicamba herbicide drifted onto his peach orchard and harmed his crops, Reuters reported on Thursday.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled a federal jury was wrongly told to assess punitive damages for Bayer ( OTCPK:BAYRY ) and BASF ( OTCQX:BASFY ) together, rather than separately, and said a new trial was needed to determine punitive damages for each company.

Reuters said the order does not affect the jury's verdict that the companies are responsible, and leaves in place its $15M award in actual, non-punitive damages.

The farmer's lawsuit, one of more than 100 similar lawsuits over dicamba, went to trial in early 2020.

Bayer ( OTCPK:BAYRY ) said in June 2020 it would pay up to $400M to settle the remaining dicamba lawsuits .

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