Bayer may inherit Monsanto’s environmental liabilities

A pending acquisition at the top of German multinational and pharmaceutical company Bayer AG’s shopping list, the $66 million agreement to purchase St. Louis, Missouri-based multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation Monsanto Co., may trap Bayer into a web of ongoing environmental lawsuits, attorneys told Bloomberg BNA.

The deal will connect Bayer to litigation concerning Monsanto’s earlier production of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as well as its cleanup liabilities, even though terms of the sale are geared toward creating a firewall against the liabilities, attorneys said. They noted that this is because a purchaser in a genuine merger receives both the assets and the liabilities of the purchase.

German legislators are urging the European Commission to pull back the scope of the deal, which will also have to be approved by United States antitrust regulators.

Meanwhile, plaintiffs from San Francisco and San Diego, are continuing litigation against Monsanto over public waterway contamination due to the presence of PCBs, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says can cause liver damage and respiratory problems.

When a company releases a toxic pollutant into the environment, it is possible to hold that company accountable for the resulting toxicity injuries you and your family endure. If you had been hurt due to toxic circumstances in San Diego or other areas in California, enlist the legal services of our attorneys at Ritter & Associates by calling our offices today at (619) 296-0123.