Big box store Costco will reportedly stop selling the controversial Roundup weed killer after a couple were awarded $2 billion in a lawsuit in which they claimed it gave them cancer, People reported.
Alva and Alberta Pilliod used Roundup on their Northern California lawn for 30 years. In 2011, Mr. Pilliod was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Just four years later, his wife was told she has the same disease.
In their lawsuit, they claim they developed the cancer as a result of using Roundup in their garden for decades.
In court, their lawyer argued that the couple were more at risk than professional gardeners because they were never warned to wear protective gloves or clothing.
Their lawyer argued in court that the $2 billion would send a message to the chemical company, and that $1 billion would be awarded to each Pilliod.
In 2017, it was reported that Roundup's annual profit was $892 million.
Just two months prior, a federal jury in San Francisco awarded $80 million to a man who claimed Roundup caused him to develop non-Hodkin's lymphoma.
In August 2018, $289 million was awarded to a school groundskeeper who claimed the weed killer caused their cancer, as well. A judge reduced that to $78 million.
NBC News reported that there are approximately 11,000 pending cases against the chemical giant, which has been selling Roundup since the 1970s.
Honeycutt announced on her website that Costco will be cutting ties with Roundup.
"I called the headquarters, and after two days of messages and calls, I did finally confirm with three people that Costco was not ordering Roundup or any glyphosate-based herbicides for the incoming spring shipments," she wrote in a blog post.
A representative for the company told people it does not "have a statement available about the decision."
Moms Across America have created more petitions on Change.org, one for Home Depot and one for Lowe's, in which they call for these companies to also take Roundup off their shelves.
