Judge considering TOSSING $289million school groundskeeper who cancer because Roundup weed-killer

A San Francisco judge is considering tossing most of a $289 million judgement against the makers of RoundUp weed-killer that a groundskeeper says caused his cancer.

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Suzanne Bolanos didn't formally rule on any issues after a two-hour hearing to consider the parent company of RoundUp, Monsanto's demand to toss out the entire jury verdict in the first of thousands of similar cases across the country to go to trial.

The San Francisco jury in August said Monsanto knew - or should have known - its best-selling Roundup weed-killer causes cancer and hit the company with $250 million in punitive damages, which are designed to punish companies who act recklessly.

The jury also awarded DeWayne Johnson $33 million in so-called 'pain-and-suffering' damages and $6million in actual damages.

But Bolanos issued a written tentative ruling ahead of the hearing saying she intended to strike down the punitive damages and schedule a new trial on that issue.

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