US biotech giant Monsanto is legally responsible for the ill health of a farmer who ingested its weedkiller product, a French court has ruled, reports BBC News.
A French appeals court ruled in favour of 55-year-old Paul François, who has fought a decade-long legal battle against the firm.
He fell ill after inhaling vapour from Lasso, a now banned herbicide, in 2004.
Mr François blames Monsanto, accusing it of not giving sufficient safety warnings.
Bayer AG, the German pharmaceutical company that acquired Monsanto in 2018, confirmed Thursday's ruling and said it was considering its legal options, including an appeal.
A spokeswoman told the BBC: "We are currently reviewing the decision of the court."
Previous rulings in 2012 and 2015 had found Monsanto legally responsible for the poisoning of Mr François.
In 2017, those judgements were overturned by France's top court, which ordered a new hearing.
Now, having won an appeal against that decision, Mr François' case will now be heard by another court in the south-eastern city of Lyon, Reuters news agency reports.
Last month, France 24 reported that Mr Francois was seeking more than 1 million euros (£764,000) in damages from Monsanto. The latest ruling made no judgment on compensation.