Travelers Ordered to Pay for Syngenta’s Herbicide Defense Costs

A Travelers Cos. insurance unit must defend Syngenta AG against personal injury suits alleging its herbicide paraquat caused the underlying plaintiffs to develop Parkinson’s disease and kidney failure, a Delaware court ruled.

A pollution exclusion in some of Travelers Casualty & Surety Co.'s policies doesn’t bar coverage because it only applies to traditional environmental pollution, not to customers’ intended use of Syngenta’s products, the Delaware Superior Court said in a ruling unsealed Wednesday.

However, payment of defense costs will erode the liability limits of a separate set of policies, meaning Travelers is off the hook for Syngenta’s defense under those ...