Paul François is exhausted, but “determined”, according to his lawyer François Lafforgue.

The 54-year-old farmer was due in court in the eastern city of Lyon on Wednesday for the fourth round of his legal battle against Monsanto, which became a subsidiary of German pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG in 2018. It may be François’ last chance at holding the company accountable for his disabilities, which he claims were caused by its Lasso weed killer, a product that his since been banned in France.

Shortly before leaving for Lyon, François appeared calm. “After 12 years of legal proceedings, I’ve had moments of doubt. But I am confident now because the court has already ruled in our favour on several occasions,” he told FRANCE 24.

François won his first trial against Monsanto at the court in Lyon in 2012, and again on appeal in 2015. But in 2017, the company succeeded in overturning the two previous rulings, sending the case back to the appeals court.

The decision was overturned because “the court ruled that the case should not be based on common law, but rather for product liability”, explained François.

The subtle distinction, however, was enough to allow Monsanto escape a guilty verdict.

Since then, there has been a groundswell of support for François, both financial and otherwise. To continue his legal battle against Monsanto, he launched a fundraising campaign.

“I received numerous messages of support outside of my friends and family. They were crucial at a time when I was experiencing a lot of self-doubt, especially after losing the second appeal,” he said.

François is now seeking more than €1 million in damages from Monsanto. Considered 40 percent disabled by France’s Agricultural Mutual Fund, François says he suffers from bouts of amnesia, vertigo, stuttering, seizures, irritability and recurrent comas caused by the weed killer.

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