Monsanto Roundup Weedkiller Lawsuit Lawyer California

A Georgia jury has ordered Bayer to pay around $2.1 billion in a lawsuit filed by a plaintiff who alleged that Roundup caused him to develop cancer.

The company has paid around $10 billion in order to settle claims that the weedkiller causes cancer. There are still more than 60,000 pending cases and the company has set $5.9 billion aside for them.

The verdict includes $2 billion of punitive damage and $65 million regarding compensatory damages.

Bayer has told Congress that the company might stop selling its product Roundup in the United States. The company is lobbying legislators for legal immunity. It is arguing that EPA approval should end up blocking injured plaintiffs from filing state lawsuits.

67,000 Roundup lawsuits are still unresolved. Countless others might have gotten harmed by exposure to the product.

Instead of taking responsibility for Roundup’s devastating effects, Bayer appears to be doubling down on defending itself, petitioning the Supreme Court again and looking for legislative protection. The company hasn’t yet pulled Roundup from the United States market, but should it, the reason will only be because it’s now too costly to keep trying to profit from the dangerous product due to litigation.

In addition, the company is attempting to generate billions of dollars via asking shareholders if they can sell additional more stock. The move is a sign that the company is in serious financial trouble due to pending lawsuits. Bayer’s stock dropped 10 percent due to the announcement, which made investors worry about the future of the company.

An appeals court in Missouri has rejected a bid by Monsanto to overturn a verdict of $1.2 million in a lawsuit over Roundup where a jury found that Roundup caused a man from Missouri to end up with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The man was awarded $1.25 million in October 2023 by a St. Louis jury, who found that Monsanto and Bayer failed to properly warn about the risk that Roundup could cause NHL.

Monsanto had appealed the verdict, but on February 11, the verdict was upheld by an appeals court. The court found that Monsanto failed to demonstrate a conflict between federal and state law. The court found that there is no evidence that the EPA had been informed about justifications for a warning label change, or that Monsanto was informed by the EPA that a label change wouldn’t be approved.

A new report has found that the new formulation of Roundup for residential users may be 45 times as toxic as the old formulation with regards to chronic, long-term exposure.

According to the report, glyphosate has been replaced in residential formulations of Roundup with imazapic, triclopyr, fluazifop-P-butyl and diquat dibromide. These chemicals, according to the report, pose a larger risk of reproductive and/or long-term health problems than does glyphosate, based on an EPA evaluation of studies regarding safety.

The report notes that diquat dibromide, which is in all new formulations of Roundup, is 200 times as toxis as glyphosate regarding chronic exposure, and has been banned by the European Union, as has imazapic.

The report also notes that, regarding chronic exposure, triclopyr is 20 times as toxic as glyphosate, fluazifop-P-butyl is 196 times as toxic as glyphosate, and imazapic is 2.2 times as toxic as glyphosate.

The report also finds that all four active ingredients are more dangerous to wildlife than glyphosate. The report found that diquat dibromide can persist in soil for over 15 years, whereas glyphosate can only persist in soil for 6.5 days.

In McKivison v. Monsanto, Susan Schulman, a Philadelphia Judge, rejected attempts by Monsanto to overturn a verdict of $2.25 billion. Schulman said this enormous verdict was a reflection of the “outrage” of the jury at Monsanto.

“It was evident that it was the jury’s intention to punish this multi-billion-dollar chemical corporation with an amount of money that would impact the bottom line,” she wrote. “The jury’s verdict reflects its outrage at Monsanto’s conduct and the court must respect the collective wisdom of the men and women who made up this jury.”

Schulman added that the jury’s finding was supported by the record. She pointed out that Roundup did not have warning labels, despite there being “myriad examples of how Monsanto knew Roundup was linked with cancer and failed to take any steps to warn the consumer to use protective gear.”

Our Roundup partner law firm, Kline and Merson, commented on this trial judge’s opinion, issuing a statement which stated that “Roundup causes cancer and Monsanto is liable for its reckless conduct.”

September saw 12 cases added to the Roundup MDL, which now involves 4,349 pending cases. The reason why only 12 cases were added to the MDL is because most Roundup cases are being filed in state courts these days.

Bayer saw a huge victory in the 3rd Circuit in August. The appeals court ruled that state laws are preempted by federal regulations regarding the labeling of pesticides. The decision stemmed from a Pennsylvania case and centered on if pesticide labels approved by the EPA which lack Roundup cancer warnings override requirements by states for these warnings.

It was emphasized by the court that once a label is approved by the EPA omitting health warnings, when state laws demand these warnings, federal law preempts this.

We do not believe that Bayer will ultimately succeed in their strategy of pushing this all the way to the Supreme Court. However, there is now a split between appeals courts regarding this preemption issue, so Bayer’s hopes of getting this issue to the Supreme Court are more realistic now than they were prior to this ruling.

Even if this ruling were ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court, this would not kill Roundup litigation. Plaintiffs would still be able to file defective design claims – a product which presents an unreasonable risk of cancer even when used as instructed or in a reasonably foreseeable manner is defective by design.

Bayer’s head, in a recent call with Bayer investors, warned that Bayer continues to struggle with Roundup litigation, indicating that the company hopes that changes to United States laws can absolve Bayer from liability in the future regarding its failure to warn consumers regarding the link between Roundup and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The company, and its subsidiary Monsanto, have ended up facing over 120,000 lawsuits in the last decade – the lawsuits allege that Roundup’s manufacturers were aware of the link between glyphosate and NHL but failed to warn about them while continuing to promote the product’s use.

The companies have paid over $10 billion regarding Roundup settlements and continue facing thousands of lawsuits.

An earnings report published on August 6 confirmed that Bayer is attempting to push federal and state legislation shielding it from lawsuits filed by former users of Roundup who claim they developed cancer due to the herbicide.

Bayer’s CEO told investors, reportedly, that Bayer is forming a partnership with the ag industry to frame the legislation as being important for food security and jobs. He made an indication that a good deal of this effort will be aimed at passing the new Farm Bill, which is being pushed by Bayer to include sections which grant Roundup legal immunity.

The current Farm Bill draft includes language calling for uniform labeling laws regarding pesticides to be established by the federal government, preventing states from enacting their own laws in order to protect citizens from herbicides and pesticides such as Roundup.

Glyphosate is considered to be a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization.

A new study has found that being exposed to pesticides gives one a higher risk of cancer comparable to or larger than the risk which is posed by the smoking of cigarettes.

The study indicates that exposure to pesticides in different regions of the United States increases individuals’ risk of the development of multiple kinds of organ and blood cancers.

While being exposed to pesticides has long been known to be a concern for agricultural workers, the study suggests that pesticides pose a threat to others who live in certain areas, too.

The researchers analyzed exposure to 69 different pesticides, modeling cancer rates which were based upon regional locations and exposure levels. The data included data on glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup.

The study found that exposure to pesticides was linked with a higher risk of leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, bladder, pancreatic, lung and colon cancer.

The study found that NHL risk was 154 percent more relating to pesticide exposure than relating to smoking.

Bayer and Monsanto have faced in excess of 120,000 lawsuits alleging that plaintiffs have developed NHL due to exposure to Roundup.

The plaintiff has won a huge appeal of a 2022 defense verdict in Oregon. It was argued by the plaintiff that the court erred when it excluded expert testimony about EPA regulations.

The plaintiff’s expert, Dr. Charles Benbrook, had been prepared to explain the United States’ regulatory framework regarding pesticides, such as how the EPA evaluates and approves pesticides. This would have encompassed FIFRA complexities, how pesticides efficacy and safety are assessed by the EPA, and the significance of labeling requirements by the EPA.

It was also expected that Benbrook’s testimony would illuminate how pesticide regulations interact, especially focusing on the cancer risk assessment policy and process of the EPA. This would have involved discussion regarding how regulatory bodies such as the EPA and IARC come to different conclusions about substances like glyphosate being carcinogenic.

An intermediate appellate court in Oregon agreed that the court erred by not allowing Benbrook’s testimony, reversing the 2022 judgment and remanding the case. What this means is that the plaintiff will get another trial.

Monsanto ended up cross-appealing, making the case that the claims by the plaintiff were preempted by FIFRA. This argument was, however, rejected by the court.

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies voted on an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 which includes preemption language stripping states of their ability to regulate herbicides, hindering victims’ ability to hold herbicide manufacturers accountable for injuries.

A bill passing a subcommittee is still a long ways from a bill passing. However, it’s far from ideal that Bayer is making progress regarding this nonsense.

Bayer has been lobbying Congress in the last year to advance a bill which may shield it from billions of dollars in liability from lawsuits. The bill could make it more difficult for groundskeepers and farmers to claim they weren’t warned about safety and health risks posed by Roundup. Bayer is trying to save itself from financial crisis by erecting legal barriers for those looking to bring cases and preventing huge payouts to potential plaintiffs.

Bayer is targeting legislation called the farm bill, something Congress needs to pass every five years in order to sustain federal nutrition and agriculture programs. The House version of this bill contains a section – which Bayer helped with the drafting of – which may halt some Roundup lawsuits.

Bayer has also been helping to advance bills in Missouri, Iowa and Idaho, according to lobbying records in these states – these bills might immunize Bayer against claims that Roundup can cause cancer.

A new study found glyphosate, Roundup’s active ingredient, in human sperm. The study found it at higher levels than typically seen in blood, and this raises concerns regarding the possible threat that the herbicide might pose to reproduction in humans.

The researchers are warning that Roundup may deteriorate the blood testes barrier in humans and lead to possibly toxic side effects which may be passed down to the children of men.

The researchers looked at data regarding 128 men who were part of infertile couples. The researchers found glyphosate in the blood and semen samples of 73 out of the men.

The researchers found that levels of glyphosate were around four times higher in the semen than in the blood.

The researchers warn that it appears there’s a link between glyphosate in semen and increased oxidative stress, which may contribute to damage to sperm DNA, infertility, and health problems regarding the offspring of the men.

The judge overseeing the Roundup MDL has raised concerns about some firms representing plaintiffs who may be accepting an excessive number of cases.

The judge has questioned if some law firms are neglecting their clients by taking on too many cases, more than they’re capable of handling, and settling cases for small amounts rather than litigating.

In any mass tort, a tiny minority of attorneys take non-viable cases, because they want a lot of cases or because they’re incapable of identifying viable cases. Roundup litigation is quite ripe for this sort of thing due to large settlements and verdicts which are quite attractive to attorneys.

This is likely not a huge problem in the Roundup litigation, though. In addition, lawyers for the defense are always capable of refusing to settle claims when they don’t think claims are viable.

In other news, a January $2.25 billion verdict has been reduced by a Philadelphia judge to $400 million. While many would argue the verdict by the jury should be shown respect, $400 million is a lot of money.

As thousands of lawsuits are being pursued by those claiming that Roundup caused non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Roundup’s manufacturer has already paid in excess of $10 billion to settle such claims. Now, executives with Bayer have indicated they’ve set aside even more billions of dollars to address this litigation.

Bayer CEO Bill Anderson, at a recent speech, said the company has set aside a total of $16 billion in order to resolve outstanding Roundup litigation.

Since Bayer purchased Monsanto in the year 2016, its stock value has fallen by 70 percent.

In other news, six cases were added to the Roundup multidistrict litigation in May, bringing the total number of cases to 2,285.

The CEO of Bayer AG, Bill Anderson, has referred to lawsuits over Roundup as an “existential” threat to Bayer as well as farmers. The comment came as the company considers employing a controversial legal strategy.

Anderson stated that Roundup litigation threatens the company’s ability to innovate for food security and farmers.

The company is debating whether or not to utilize a controversial legal tactic known as a Texas Two-Step in order to try to settle thousands of lawsuits alleging that Roundup caused users to develop cancer.

This maneuver is named after a state law allowing companies to split liabilities and assets into different units, then put the unit that has liabilities into bankruptcy in order to drive global settlements.

Using this tactic, if it was successful, could allow other parts of the company to continue to operate normally. However, Johnson & Johnson has recently tried this maneuver regarding talc litigation, and 3M has recently tried this maneuver regarding military earplug litigation – courts rejected both companies’ attempts to dodge liability like this.

Anderson stated that it has been estimated that families’ grocery bills could increase by 40 percent if glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, was banned in the United States.

A growing body of research links exposure to Roundup with an increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a deadly form of cancer.

Bayer has suffered a loss in Carson. An appeals court decided on May 8 not to revisit a decision dismissing arguments that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act precludes a plaintiff from making the claim that Bayer failed to inform the public about Roundup’s health risks.

Bayer had publicly release a five part plan to defend itself from Roundup lawsuits, and getting the Supreme Court to rule favorably on this issue was the first part of the plan. Bayer was hoping Carson would rule in their favor and that the Supreme Court might take up the issue after that. Bayer’s plan is not looking good after Carson ruled against them on this issue.

In other news, a lawsuit has been filed in Delaware by an arborist who used Roundup extensively for in excess of two decades to clear out weeds and turf on properties, maintaining flowerbeds and preparing ground for new turf. The man used the product for his clients as well as on his own property, and applied Roundup with backpack and handheld sprayers, meaning his skin was regularly exposed to the product.

The man was diagnosed with NHL in February 2023, and has endured disabling, significant injuries from the disease as well as its treatments.

His family was, at first, puzzled by his diagnosis due to his young age and his family’s lack of history with the disease, but then later discovered that the likely cause of his NHL was his prolonged exposure to the herbicide.

A motion to dismiss a trio of Roundup lawsuits originally filed in Massachusetts has been dismissed by the judge overseeing the Roundup federal MDL. The dismissal clears the way for these cases to be remanded for trials in around two weeks if they are not settled by the parties involved.

A Monsanto motion to exclude expert witness testimony in the three cases was rejected by the judge.

If this motion succeeded, the claims would have not had any way to prove that plaintiffs’ illnesses were caused by exposure to Roundup, and the claims would have probably been dismissed. However, the judge found that Monsanto’s arguments regarding the expert witnesses failed to hold water, and that the witnesses’ contributions were “scientifically reasonable.”

The three cases involve claims that exposure to Roundup caused the plaintiffs to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

As of May 1, 2024, there were 4,279 pending cases in the Roundup MDL.

A new trial began yesterday in St. Louis involving three plaintiffs.

Having lost billions of dollars to trials and settlements over Roundup, Bayer is now lobbying three states’ lawmakers to pass bills which would legally shield it from lawsuits claiming that Roundup causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a deadly form of cancer.

Almost identical bills which were introduced this year in Idaho, Missouri and Iowa – bills containing wording which Bayer supplied – would give protection to pesticide companies against claims that they didn’t warn their products may cause cancer as long as their labels otherwise comply with EPA regulations.

Legal experts are warning this legislation could have very broad consequences which may extend to all product liability claims, or in the case of Iowa’s legislation, provide immunity to all types of lawsuits. Critics are claiming this type of legislation could spread all over the country.

Some politicians are concerned that if Roundup was pulled from the market in the United States, farmers in America would then have to depend upon alternative herbicides from China.

Critics of the bills are arguing that just because a product complies with EPA regulations doesn’t mean it’s safe, pointing out that asbestos and opioids had been considered safe until it was discovered they weren’t.

Critics are also claiming the legislation might hamper any product liability claims based on companies failing to warn about risks associated with their products.

The plaintiff in a Roundup trial which Monsanto recently won in Philadelphia has appealed the verdict, alleging that key evidence which links Roundup with non-Hodgkin lymphoma wasn’t able to get presented during the course of the trial.

The plaintiff is arguing that the jury in the trial wasn’t allowed to hear important evidence, such as a finding by the World Health Organization’s cancer research arm that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, can likely cause cancer.

In March 2015, glyphosate was classified by the IARC as a probable human carcinogen, based on limited human evidence and “sufficient” animal evidence. The IARC concluded that strong evidence existed regarding the genotoxicity of glyphosate.

A judge has reduced a $1.56 billion Missouri state court jury verdict to $611 million. While Bayer will consider this a win, a verdict of $611 is still a very good verdict for plaintiffs.

A bill has been approved by the Iowa Senate providing legal immunity to the manufacturers of agricultural chemicals from lawsuits which allege the companies failed to inform users of health risks, given these products include necessary EPA labels.

The bill is not yet law and it is yet to be seen how it will be dealt with by Iowa’s House.

Over 100 Roundup cases were added to the Roundup MDL in March, bringing the total number of cases pending to 4,281.

Bayer officials have said that the company is currently testing a possible glyphosate replacement to put in its Roundup weedkiller.

Many consider this effort to essentially be a silent recall of Roundup, as many lawsuits allege that the glyphosate in Roundup is causing people to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Over 167,000 lawsuits have been filed in recent years. The genesis of the litigation was the IARC classifying Roundup as an agent which probably causes cancer. Monsanto and Bayer have already paid out over $10 billion in order to resolve cases.

However, Bayer continues to publicly tout the safety of glyphosate.

According to a Bloomberg News report, Bayer is now considering a “Texas two-step” bankruptcy filing in order to force future and current Roundup claims to be settled through the United States bankruptcy system.

The maneuver would involve Bayer attempting to transfer its liability for failing to warn that Roundup can cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma to a subsidiary, then having the subsidiary file for bankruptcy.

Manufacturers of other products which have seen lawsuits filed against them, such as Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of talcum powder products, and 3M Company, the manufacturer of military earplugs, have seen similar “Texas two-step” attempts fail in recent years.

Analysts do not believe Bayer’s attempt will likely be successful, as the company does not face financial distress and possesses billions of dollars’ worth of assets. However, the maneuver may successfully delay litigation.

On March 5, Bill Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of Bayer, told investors that one of Bayer’s top priorities in the next two or three years is resolving Roundup lawsuits because of the high, ongoing cost of litigation regarding their failure to warn that Roundup can cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma. During the call, officials with Bayer indicated that around 113,000 Roundup lawsuits have been settled or resolved, and that Bayer faces around an additional 54,000 claims. Anderson told Bayer investors the company plans to defend itself vigorously in Roundup litigation, planning to appeal “unfavorable” verdicts. Anderson also stated the company might lobby for public policy changes which could stymie litigation, claiming Bayer believes in the safety of glyphosate.

Bayer has announced that it plans to cut its dividend by an incredible 95 percent over the course of the next three years. The company is looking to recover from its debt which is associated with it acquiring Monsanto Co.

When Bayer acquired Monsanto, it thrust the company into the middle of thousands of lawsuits involving the herbicide Roundup.

The company said it is only going to offer investors the minimum legal requirement under German law: 12 cents per share in 2023, which is down from $2.60 per share last year.

Bayer’s shares have lost around two thirds of their total value since the company acquired Monsanto.

Bayer has also accumulated around $42 billion in debt since acquiring Monsanto.

Bayer has faced around 165,000 Roundup claims since 2018, and around 50,000 claims are still pending.

A federal court rejected a Bayer argument that may have prevented more Roundup lawsuits from proceeding in courts around the country, finding that claims of a failure to warn which former Roundup users who have received non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnoses are pursuing aren’t preempted by pesticide labeling laws at the federal level. The decision rejected Bayer’s attempt to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a man who blamed his cancer on Roundup, finding that complying with FIFRA labeling rules doesn’t prevent users from seeking damages for a failure to warn under state law. Bayer had argued that the man’s failure to warn claims should end up being dismissed, arguing that these claims would make it so the manufacturer was required to meet differing labeling requirements at the federal and state level.

26 Roundup lawsuits were filed in the Roundup MDL in January.

One of the lawsuits is a wrongful death lawsuit brought by a Florida resident who alleges the decedent regularly used Roundup since around 1980, following all precautionary and safety warnings given while using it.

Despite taking these precautions, the lawsuit alleges the man ended up with a Diffuse Large B-cell lymphoma diagnosis, and alleges that this condition was directly caused by his exposure to Roundup. The decedent passed away in March 2021 from lymphoma complications.

Bayer has been ordered to pay a Pennsylvania man $2.25 billion. The man claimed he developed cancer after being exposed to Roundup, the company’s weedkiller.

A Pennsylvania jury found that the man developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma because he used Roundup for years while doing home yard work. The jury awarded $2 billion worth of punitive damages and $250 million worth of compensatory damages.

About 165,000 lawsuits have been filed in the United States against Bayer for injuries which Roundup allegedly caused – most of the lawsuits involve allegations that the weedkiller caused non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Bayer has consistently argued that scientific studies show that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is safe. However, plaintiffs’ lawyers have recently begun arguing that Roundup as a whole, not just glyphosate, is causing people to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and this new legal strategy has seen plaintiffs rack up win after win lately in Roundup litigation.

The Roundup MDL saw three new cases added to it in the past month. There is now a total of 4,177 pending cases in the MDL.

Judge James Crumlish III recently issued an opinion which condemned an attempt by Monsanto to remove him from a case after a verdict of $175 million, arguing the tactic was manipulative and transparent. The judge said Monsanto’s goal is to attempt to undermine the judge and jury rather than contest the evidence at the trial, calling the attempt a cynical diversion and a delay tactic.

A new Roundup trial in Philadelphia, where plaintiffs have won two cases and lost none, is now underway. Lawyers representing the plaintiffs will advance themes which have been effective: Roundup as a whole, not just glyphosate, causes NHL, and studies were hidden by Monsanto, studies which show an association between Roundup and NHL, to sell more Roundup.

Plaintiffs have now won a fifth consecutive Roundup verdict, with a Pennsylvania jury awarding $3.5 million to a woman who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma after she was exposed to the herbicide. The verdict included $3 million worth of punitive damages intended to punish Bayer and Monsanto for needlessly putting consumers in danger. The verdict comes after recent verdicts in favor of Roundup plaintiffs, awarding the plaintiffs, $332 million, $175 million, $1.25 million and $1.5 billion.

Bayer and Monsanto have been ordered by a Missouri judge to pay out $1.5 billion over claims that its weedkiller Roundup caused three individuals to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The verdict represents the largest verdict against a United States corporation in 2023.

The verdict includes $61.1 million worth of compensatory damages and $1.5 billion worth of punitive damages intended to punish the companies and deter future similar conduct.

The verdict comes after several other recent losses for Monsanto and Bayer over claims that Roundup caused people to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The companies were ordered by a San Diego jury to pay $332 million in October, were ordered to pay $175 million just days before that by Pennsylvania jury, and were also ordered to pay $1.25 million by a St. Louis jury in October.

Monsanto and Bayer have made an announcement, saying that future settlements involving Roundup can involve individuals who are not United States citizens, such as migrant farm workers who end up developing cancer after being exposed to Roundup while working in the United States.

This agreement is due to a settlement which was reached in a discrimination lawsuit. A woman who developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma after using Roundup on farms filed the lawsuit after being excluded from participation in a program regarding Roundup settlements because she wasn’t a U.S. citizen.

Bayer was found liable in Philadelphia court regarding Roundup. Ernest Caranci, a retired restauranteur, won a $175 million award consisting of $150 million in punitive damages and $25 million of compensatory damages.

Bayer expressed that it intends to appeal this verdict. Bayer will seek to overturn the decision and reduce the amounts of damages.

Caranci claimed that he developed NHL after using Roundup in his garden.

The verdict came soon after Bayer lost a $1.25 million judgment.

Bayer has had to navigate a difficult path through the legal system since it took over Monsanto (and thus acquired Roundup) in 2018 for $63 billion. Bayer maintains that glyphosate, the main component in Roundup, is safe.

Bayer settled many Roundup claims in 2020. These claims amounted to almost $10.9 billion. Bayer still faces about 40,000 unresolved Roundup cases.

Bayer has been ordered by a St. Louis jury to pay out $1.25 million in a lawsuit involving a man who claimed Roundup caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The man claims he developed the disease after using Roundup in a neighborhood restoration project. Bayer and Monsanto have faced over 120,000 lawsuits claiming that the weedkiller caused people to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

A new strategy is being employed by plaintiffs in Roundup lawsuits currently underway in Pennsylvania, California and Missouri. Plaintiffs in these trials are now alleging that glyphosate is not the only chemical in Roundup which can cause cancer, now mentioning that Roundup contains numerous harmful substances, and mentioning a surfactant in Roundup, labeling it a “problem chemical.”

On September 21, 2023, Monsanto scientist Donna Farmer testified in a Roundup trial. During her testimony, she admitted that studies linking glypohsate with chromosomal damage were mostly done by independent scientists, whereas research that asserted no chromosomal damage by glyphosate was mostly paid for by Monsanto.

The first bellwether Roundup case is set for jury selection to begin in October 2023. In general, plaintiffs in Roundup mass tort claims allege that they were exposed to Roundup and that this caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

In June 2023, Monsanto and Bayer agreed to an about $7 million settlement with the State of New York over allegations that they engaged in misleading advertising regarding the safety of Roundup products containing glyphosate. Monsanto and Bayer were ordered to remove and stop all advertisements representing Roundup as being harmless, non-toxic, safe, or not a risk to wildlife such as pollinators.

In June 2023, the Arkansas Supreme Court denied a Monsanto petition seeking to avoid having former Bayer CEO Werner Baumann testify in a lawsuit claiming Roundup gave a man cancer. The court said they don’t step in when it comes to deciding discovery disputes.

In May 2023, Monsanto was cleared of liability by a Missouri jury regarding a trial in which a gardener claimed her lymphoma was caused by Roundup.

A St. Louis County jury has started hearing evidence and testimony regarding a state court trial over claims a woman developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after using Roundup as a child.

A study published in January 2023 found that exposure to Roundup is associated with oxidative stress in people. The study notes that oxidative stress has been linked with the development of leukemia.

A study published in November 2022 has linked glyphosate with possible liver damage. The study found that subjecting rats to perinatal glyphosate exposure led to increased levels of iron in the livers of the offspring, suggesting that perinatal glyphosate exposure may lead to liver damage in offspring due to iron overload.

In September 2022, plaintiff lawyers urged U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria to wrap up pretrial proceedings in the Roundup MDL, noting that Roundup’s warning label has still not changed.

In September 2022, the EPA withdrew its 2020 assessment which found that glyphosate does not cause cancer. An appeals court had found that the EPA did not follow EPA guidelines when issuing that assessment.

In July 2021, Bayer announced it would stop selling glyphosate to residential customers in 2023 in order “to manage litigation risk.” The company noted it would continue to sell glyphosate to professionals.

An appeals court upheld the $25 million verdict in the first federal bellwether Roundup trial. The verdict included $20 million in punitive damages intended to punish Bayer and Monsanto for ignoring Roundup’s cancer risks.

In February 2021, Bayer announced it had reached a $2 billion deal in order to resolve future Roundup cancer lawsuits. The money will cover compensation, outreach and diagnostic assistance over an initial period of four years. Those diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) after being exposed to Roundup Weed & Grass Killer may be eligible for compensation of up to $200,000.

In June 2020, Bayer had agreed to pay over $10 billion to settle tens of thousands of Roundup claims.