Bayer considers appeal after losing weedkiller case in France
German chemicals giant Bayer could appeal a French court's decision that one of its weedkillers damaged a farmer's health.
A court in Lyon found for Paul Francois, who he had suffered from fainting, headaches and memory loss after inhaling weedkiller Lasso in 2004.
Read more: Bayer shares tumble after weedkiller cancer verdict
However, Francois will have to wait for his compensation claim to be heard at a separate court. He is asking for around €1m.
“We are all happy to have won but it came at a heavy price,” Francois told reporters in Paris.
“It’s a big sigh of relief. It’s been 12 years of fighting, 12 years during which I had to put my whole life on hold.”
Bayer said yesterday it was considering its legal options, including a potential appeal.
Lasso was banned in France in 2007, and has been withdrawn elsewhere.
The decision follows months of litigation over another of Bayer’s weedkillers, Roundup, which has been part of several lawsuits in the US over its supposed link to cancer.
Two claimants have been awarded tens of millions of dollars in compensation in California.
The company became liable for the weedkillers last year when it acquired agrochemical firm Monsanto.
Chief executive Werner Baumann yesterday admitted that Bayer faces a massive challenge from the lawsuits.
“You can see it in our share price,” Baumann said. “You see it selectively, mainly here in Germany and in France – less so in the USA – in our reputational scores,” he added.
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The firm has lost around €30bn (£26bn) of its market value since August when it lost a US court case. More than 10,000 other cases are pending.
Shares closed down around 1.1 per cent to €60.79.