BASF Gets Dicamba Verdict Reduced by $190 Million (Corrected)

BASF can avoid paying $190 million to a peach farmer who claimed the weedkiller dicamba killed his trees, a federal court in Missouri said in finding the award against the company was unconstitutionally large.

A jury held BASF and Monsanto Co. responsible for $265 million in punitive and compensatory damages in February after finding the companies responsible for the pesticide that drifted onto Bill Bader’s Missouri farm and harmed his trees.

BASF sought to avoid paying punitive damages altogether, arguing it violated the company’s right to due process because it was based on passion or prejudice. The U.S. District ...