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Cases / Pesticides and agrochemicals · United States · 2015–2026

Court reverses $60 million punitive award in dicamba case

Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Not on record
  • The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
What the record lacks: 2 none on record · 1 not measured See the gaps

A court reversed a $60 million punitive damage award in the Bader dicamba case while leaving liability in place. The sources describe drift damage as the harm in this litigation, and EPA has re-approved over-the-top dicamba use for 2026 and 2027.

What?
A court reversed a $60 million punitive damage award in the Bader dicamba case while affirming liability; EPA approved over-the-top dicamba use for 2026 and 2027. Farm Progress
Where?
United States: dicamba litigation and EPA registration. Farm Progress
When?
Litigation from 2015 to 2026; a 2020 trial; EPA approval for 2026 and 2027. Civil Eats
Who?
Gained
  • Bayer (Monsanto) — Named in the sources as a party in the dicamba litigation. Civil Eats
Lost
  • Growers affected by dicamba drift — The sources describe dicamba drift damage in this litigation; individual losses are not given. Civil Eats
Harmed
None on record
Why?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
Herbicide drift onto neighbouring fields; a court vacated the over-the-top registration, and EPA re-approved it for 2026 and 2027. National Ag Law Center
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

Farm Progress reported that a court reversed a $60 million punitive damage award in the Bader dicamba case while affirming liability.

Civil Eats reported that evidence at a 2020 dicamba trial showed Monsanto executives had anticipated pesticide drift.

The National Ag Law Center reported that a court vacated the over-the-top dicamba registration, and Agri-Pulse reported that EPA approved over-the-top use of dicamba for 2026 and 2027.

    In court and with insurers

    Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

    Lawsuits and rulings

    1. Reduced on appeal
      Bader dicamba case
      Not stated in the sources reviewed · Civil · Farm plaintiff in the Bader case → Monsanto (Bayer)

      A court affirmed liability and reversed the $60 million punitive damage award, according to Farm Progress. Farm Progress

    Insurers

    No insurer decision on record.

    What we don't know

    Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.

    Nature

    • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

    Record

    • None on record The sources reviewed for this record do not document the Roundup verdict reductions, so no Roundup figures are included.
    • None on record The sources do not say whether the Bader case ended in a payment.

    Did the harm stop?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Who paid?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Sources

    Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations✓ Communities and civil society— Researchers

    Press and investigations

    Communities and civil society

    Connected cases

    Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
    Terms used on this page

    Law and courts

    Punitive damages
    Money a court orders a defendant to pay to punish especially reckless conduct, on top of compensation for losses. Mainly used in US courts.

    Institutions

    EPA
    The US Environmental Protection Agency.

    Science and environment

    PFOA (C8) and PFAS
    PFAS are a large family of human-made chemicals that persist in the environment and the body; PFOA, also called C8, is one of them and was used to make Teflon.
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