The world according to Monsanto : pollution, corruption, and

3Dioxin: Manipulation and CorruptionReliable scientific evidence indicates that Agent Orangeis not the cause of serious long-term health effects.—Jill Montgomery, Monsanto spokesperson, 2004In February 1984, a few months before the Vietnam veterans were forced togive up their chance to receive real reparations, the trial of Kemner v. Monsantoopened in Illinois. For more than three years, fourteen jurors would listento 130 witnesses and try to evaluate the harm suffered by the residentsof Sturgeon, as well as the responsibility of Monsanto. This was “the longestjury trial in the nation’s history,” wrote the Wall Street Journal, which wenton to say that “Monsanto has 10 lawyers working on the case in four-hourshifts to stay fresh. . . . Courtroom observers say that by establishing a reputationas a fierce adversary with an apparently unlimited budget to battle,Monsanto may discourage similar cases in the future.” 1Falsified Scientific StudiesThe resources mobilized by the company matched the stakes: if all users ofits products containing traces of dioxin were to turn against it, the companyknew, it would be heading straight for bankruptcy. Hence, it had no hesitationabout using every possible delaying tactic, at the risk of exasperating the