In Business This Week

DUPONT TAKES A HIT IN THE BENLATE BATTLE

In the first jury verdict on Benlate, DuPont's once-popular fungicide, 23 Arkansas farmers won a $10.65 million judgment. DuPont says the Sept. 3 decision may have little impact on nearly 500 other suits by farmers who claim Benlate caused crop damage because the Arkansas case involved tainted Benlate, which was recalled in 1989. But Arkansas lawyers say the judgment undercuts DuPont's credibility, and that they established during the trial that even pure Benlate can break down into harmful chemicals. DuPont plans to appeal.EDITED BY KEITH H. HAMMONDS