Post-effect of the lawsuit against Monsanto in the U.S

Regarding the lawsuit against Monsanto filed by Dewayne Johnson, the Jury of California Supreme Court in San Francisco ruled that Monsanto Company has to pay USD 289 million, including a compensation of USD 39 million for Johnson, the plaintiff in the lawsuit and a fine of USD 250 million when they found that Monsanto “engaged in conduct with malice, oppression or fraud committed by one or more officers, directors or managing agents of Monsanto”. After the lawsuit, people with conscience all over the world and in Vietnam have laid bare the crimes that U.S. chemical firms, including Monsanto, one of the two leading suppliers of Agent Orange/ Dioxin for the U.S Military in Vietnam War between 1961 and 1971, which wreaked havoc to the environment and the health of as many as 4.8 million people and exposed over other 3 million ones to Agent Orange.

The lawsuit shown us that the previous argument that the herbicide provided by Monsanto and other chemical companies for the U.S Military in Vietnam War was harmless to people’s health was a fallacy and a denial of responsibility to human being. This is because it is such toxic chemicals found in the Roundup weed killer produced by Monsanto without appropriate warnings about potential health risks that users like Johnson were exposed to the pollutant, and Monsanto is facing with over 4,000 similar files. This is a considerable pressure on the U.S administration about the consequences caused by its chemical companies.

As for Vietnam, Monsanto lawsuit is just a single case in which a U.S citizen used not a big amount of herbicide but the harmful impact to the user’s health has been exposed.

As such, domestic and international opinions once against have been reminded of the struggle for justice in which since 2004 VAVA has sued 37 U.S chemical companies, including Monsanto, for supplying toxic chemicals for the U.S Military during the 10 year period which depleted the environment and badly affected the health of people living in the areas of spray. We find that the lawsuit conducted by VAVA is a major encouragement providing legal basis for world people to accompany with the victims of Agent Orange in Vietnam who are struggling to force 37 U.S chemical companies, including Monsanto to compensate for the victims regardless who they are and where they come from. We hope that the lawsuit will be supported by world progressive people basing on international law and

Lawyer Dang Phuc Due

Vice President of Quang Binh’s Association for victims of Agent Orange