William Melissen, 51, of Abington Township, was awarded a $78 million verdict on Thursday against American agricultural biotechnology and agrochemical corporation Monsanto, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

A Philadelphia jury found that the company’s herbicide, Roundup, was a reason Melissen developed blood cancer, for which he has since received treatment. The jury awarded Melissen $3 million dollars in compensatory damages and $75 million in punitive damages.

According to the story, Melissen had frequently used Roundup since 1992 and was diagnosed in 2020 with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He argued in legal filings that the disease stemmed from exposure to chemicals in the product.

He and his wife sued Monsanto and its German parent company, Bayer, in 2021 in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, the Inquirer said.

“This is one more jury that recognized the outrageous conduct of Monsanto for 50 years,” Tom Kline of Kline & Specter, who represented Melissen, told the Inquirer after the verdict reading.

Williams, who litigated the case on behalf of Monsanto, declined to comment.

Monsanto said in a statement that it disagrees with the jury’s verdict, and that evidence doesn’t support the claim that Roundup causes cancer. It also said that the trial errors provided the company strong grounds for appeal.

For all the latest news, follow us on Facebook or sign up for Glenside Local’s “Daily Buzz” newsletter here.