A U.S. court has revived a $185 million verdict against Bayer’s Monsanto unit tied to chemical contamination at a school in Washington state. This ruling came from the Washington Supreme Court, which overturned a lower court’s decision that had canceled the verdict from a 2021 trial involving three teachers at Sky Valley Education Center in Monroe.
The lawsuit centers on polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chemicals used in the past to insulate electrical equipment. More than 200 people connected to the school—students, staff, and parents—say they got sick, some developing cancer, because of PCB leaks from old light fixtures. Monsanto, which Bayer bought in 2018, made these chemicals from 1935 until they were banned in 1979 due to health risks.
Previous verdicts against Monsanto in related cases have reached over $1.5 billion, though some amounts were later reduced or overturned. Last August, Bayer settled all claims except nine cases that were still in the appeals process, including this one brought by the teachers.
The lawyers for the plaintiffs say this ruling sends a clear message that companies hiding the dangers of toxic chemicals will be held responsible. Monsanto, on the other hand, called the decision wrong and said it’s reviewing its legal options.
The ruling also impacts other similar cases on appeal, which had been on hold while the Washington Supreme Court reviewed this matter. Since Bayer’s $63 billion deal to acquire Monsanto, the company has been dealing with many lawsuits over PCB contamination and thousands of claims that its weedkiller Roundup causes cancer—claims Bayer denies.
One key issue in the case involved which state’s laws should apply. Last year, a lower appeals court sided with Bayer and used Missouri law, Monsanto’s home state, to overturn the verdict—arguing the case should have been dismissed because too much time had passed. But the Washington Supreme Court disagreed, deciding Missouri law was appropriate since major decisions about the chemicals took place there.
Bayer has argued that the PCBs found at the school were at safe levels, as per the Environmental Protection Agency, and claimed the school ignored warnings to update its aging light fixtures.
This ruling brings new momentum to the ongoing legal battles over Monsanto’s chemical legacy, keeping the spotlight on corporate accountability for environmental health risks.