OTHER NEWS - June 11, 1996

Monsanto Bias Settlement Approved: A federal judge in St. Louis approved the $18.25-million settlement of an age, race and disability discrimination lawsuit filed by 43 former salespeople in Monsanto’s lawn and garden products division. The 43 had been employees of Chevron Corp., which sold its Ortho Consumer Products business to Monsanto in 1993. The plant was located in San Ramon, Calif., but the salespeople were employed nationwide. As part of the consent decree, St. Louis-based Monsanto and San Francisco-based Chevron denied any wrongdoing or discrimination. A Monsanto spokesman had said the company agreed to settle the 2-year-old case to avoid the uncertainty and distractions of litigation.