Monsanto and Bayer face $857 million verdict over toxic PCBs in Washington state school

Monsanto, a subsidiary of Bayer, has been ordered by a Washington state jury to pay $857 million to seven former students and parent volunteers who claimed that exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the company's light fixtures at a school in Monroe, Washington made them sick. The verdict included $73 million in compensatory damages and $784 million in punitive damages. This is the latest trial loss for Monsanto, which already faced $870 million in verdicts from similar cases. The company plans to appeal the verdict, stating that the award is "constitutionally excessive." PCBs were widely used until 1979 when they were banned due to their links to cancer.