Bayer AG has asked California appeals court to overturn its US$86 million verdict that found the company's weed killer Roundup responsible for a couple's cancer, reports Reuters.

Bayer claimed that the jury's verdict could not be considered in line with either law or sound science, citing that the couple's attorney repeatedly violated court orders in attempts to inflame jurors. The verdict, decided in May, had a national following and awarded more than US$2 billion to Alberta and Alva Pilliod.

The couple sprayed the glyphosate-based weed killer on their property for more than three decades and received massive damages as a result of the decision.

Later, the case's trial judge reduced damages to US$86 million.

In a statement on Monday, Bayer AG said that the ingredients found in its Roundup were found by U.S. regulators to be safe and non-carcinogenic. It denies the allegations made by more than 42,700 plaintiffs in the U.S., pointing to decades of studies that showed Roundup and glyphosate as safe for human use.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the authority that the company makes an appeal to as demonstrating that safety of its product, reaffirmed the safety of the ingredient in January.

To date, the agriculture giant has faced three juries over allegations against Roundup, claiming it causes cancer. Bayer has already appealed the other two verdicts.

In a report by Bloomberg last month, Bayer said that a deal was about to be reached for more than 75,000 cancer claims.

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