In Critical Move, U.S. Supreme Court to Weigh in on Roundup Lawsuits
In a move that could impact tens of thousands of active cases, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to review a Roundup lawsuit.
The decision comes after agricultural giant Bayer filed a petition last year urging the court to take up the issue, which centers on claims that the popular weed killer is tied to the development of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The company has already agreed to pay billions of dollars to resolve these claims, but thousands of cases remain active.
A ruling from the Supreme Court in Bayer’s favor could potentially be devastating to those remaining lawsuits. The key issue at the heart of these cases is whether the claims made in lawsuits are preempted — or overruled — by federal law.
Lower courts have been divided on this matter. The 9th and 11th Circuit Courts of Appeal previously sided with people who have filed Roundup lawsuits, but the Third Circuit Court of Appeals created a circuit split by siding with Bayer.
“The Supreme Court’s decision in this case will have a lasting impact on Americans’ health,” said Whitney Ray Di Bona, attorney and consumer safety advocate at Drugwatch. “If pesticide companies are protected from lawsuits, they will not work to make their products safer and people harmed by these products will have nowhere to turn for help.”
The Trump Administration also recently encouraged the Supreme Court to take up a Roundup case, backing Bayer’s preemption argument.
It’s currently unknown when the Supreme Court will hear the case.
