Bayer Trial Win Matters More than it Seems

1207 GMT - Bayer's win in a Missouri trial over the company's Roundup weedkiller is more meaningful than it might seem, given that it represents the first courtroom test of plaintiffs' alternative routes after a June ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, analysts at Jefferies write in a note to clients. "While one verdict should not be over-extrapolated, we think it provides a positive first datapoint on plaintiffs' remaining litigation routes," the analysts say. The Supreme Court ruling pre-empted failure-to-warn claims, historically a key argument in Roundup litigation, they add. In the latest trial, the jury sided with Bayer's Monsanto on design defect, fraud and negligence claims and rejected them unanimously after a deliberation of just two hours, Jefferies says. Shares rise 3.6%.