As new Roundup lawsuits and trial wins involving claims that the weed killer is tied to cancer continue to mount, a resolution for some cases could be on the horizon.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Bayer is making a new push to settle some of the lawsuits, which claim exposure to Roundup can lead to the development of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. If Bayer’s settlement goes through, it could provide payouts to people who have filed lawsuits in exchange for their cases being resolved.
The Wall Street Journal said that the company’s efforts are focused on proceedings in Missouri state court. There are tens of thousands of cases pending within that state.
This isn’t the first time Bayer, which acquired Roundup maker Monsanto in 2018, has attempted to move past the sprawling litigation via settlement. The company agreed in 2020 to resolve thousands of cases for more than $10 billion.
However, that settlement did not cover all future cases, and the litigation continued. Bayer says that it has won 17 of the 25 most recent cases to go to trial, but some of the losses have been significant.
In March, a Georgia jury awarded more than $2 billion to a single plaintiff who claimed they developed cancer following exposure to Roundup. Last week, Bayer also lost an appeal to overturn a $175 million trial verdict from 2023.
The company said in its 2024 annual report that it had set aside $5.9 billion for the Roundup litigation. It may also consider having Monsanto file for bankruptcy if this latest settlement attempt fails.
Bayer Pursuing Multiple Avenues to Move Past Roundup Lawsuits
A potential settlement is not the only route Bayer is taking in an attempt to move past the years-long Roundup litigation.
The company is also trying to shield itself from litigation by encouraging individual state laws. In the last few weeks, both North Dakota and Georgia have signed bills that could make it more difficult to bring the failure-to-warn claims at the heart of these lawsuits against pesticide manufacturers.
Similar legal efforts have failed to move forward in Iowa, Missouri and some other states.
Bayer is also pushing for the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on the lawsuits in the hope that a positive ruling could largely end the litigation.
The company filed a petition last month for the court to review a Roundup case. If the court does decide to take up the case, it could do so during the 2025–26 session.