A trial team of attorneys led by Ken Friedman and Henry Jones of Friedman Rubin, PLLP, and PCVA partners Tom Vertetis and Colleen Durkin Peterson obtained a $165 million jury verdict against chemical conglomerate Monsanto spinoff company Pharmacia LLC on behalf of a group of former Sky Valley Education Center employees.
“Decades ago, Monsanto promised to be responsible for the products it put out into our world,” said Colleen. “They now refuse to keep that promise. We are thankful that a jury of our clients’ peers heard the evidence over nine weeks and chose to hold Monsanto accountable for the significant injuries sustained by these six teachers and custodian as a result of their exposure to Monsanto’s PCBs.”
On November 20, 2023, the Washington State jury found Pharmacia LLC liable for selling polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) without providing adequate warnings, resulting in neurological injuries, endocrine disruption and cognitive impairment to the plaintiffs, which included five teachers, a librarian and a custodian. All seven plaintiffs recovered damages including two of the teachers who developed rare cancers.
The verdict comes after nearly two months of trial and two weeks of deliberations. Of the $165 million verdict, $49.8 million is for compensatory damages, while $115.3 million is for punitive damages.
In July, Friedman Rubin and PCVA were instrumental in securing a $72 million verdict on behalf of another set of former Sky Valley employees who also sustained life-long injuries from PCB exposure at the school.
MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE VERDICT
Bayer Monsanto Hit with $165 Million Verdict Over PCBs in Seattle School, Medical Dialogues, 11/25/23
Jury Orders Monsanto to Pay Seattle School Employees $165 Million Over PCBs, Campus Safety Magazine, 11/23/23
Monsanto Hit with $165 Million Verdict over PCBs in Seattle School, Reuters, 11/22/23
Monsanto Ordered to Pay Additional $165 Million to Seattle School Employees over PCBs, KIRO 7, 11/22/23
Monsanto Hit With $165M Verdict In Latest School PCB Loss, Law360, 11/20/23