Judge holding gavel in courtroom

May was another busy month for dangerous product lawsuits. From uncertainty swirling around a $7 billion Roundup settlement to social media giants paying out tens of millions to settle a lawsuit, here are some of the most notable developments from the last few weeks.

Roundup Lawsuits

Bayer’s proposed $7.25 billion Roundup settlement is facing significant pushback and uncertainty as the opt-out deadline arrives.

The deal, which was first proposed in February, is meant to resolve tens of thousands of lawsuits claiming the popular weed killer is tied to the development of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Future claims for people who have not yet developed cancer would also be covered as part of the settlement.

But opponents of the offer believe that it does not provide enough compensation to people who have been impacted. Under the current terms, some people who developed cancer could be eligible for as little as $10,000 — before any fees are taken out.

Now, a venue battle is playing out that could determine whether the settlement succeeds. It was initially filed in Missouri state court, where a judge quickly provided pre-approval for the deal. But opponents are taking advantage of an unusual legal strategy to try to get it into federal court.

Critics of the deal are essentially arguing that they are the true defendants of the case since they oppose the agreement and therefore have the right to send the settlement to federal court.

If the deal were to end up in federal court, its odds of success may be slim. It would likely be transferred to U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria, who is overseeing the Roundup multidistrict litigation (MDL). He has been an outspoken critic of the settlement.

The opt-out deadline for the deal is today. More than 60,000 Roundup lawsuits remain active.

Paraquat Lawsuits

Last month, Vermont became the first U.S. state to ban paraquat. The highly toxic herbicide has already been banned in dozens of countries around the globe, including China, the United Kingdom and much of Europe.

It has remained widely used in the United States despite both its toxicity and growing claims that prolonged exposure may be tied to a heightened risk of Parkinson’s disease.

Syngenta, the maker of paraquat, is facing thousands of paraquat lawsuits from people who say they developed the devastating neurological condition after being exposed to the herbicide. The company announced earlier this year that it would stop manufacturing paraquat.

According to the Environmental Working Group, several other states, including New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois are considering banning paraquat in some capacity.

Social Media Lawsuits

What was set to be the first federal bellwether trial between a school district and the companies behind major social media platforms will no longer take place.

That trial, which involved a school district in Kentucky, focused on claims that social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok have helped fuel a mental health crisis among children. The Breathitt County school district was seeking compensation from social media platforms for the money it has spent on mental health services as a result.

But every defendant in the trial, including Meta, Snap, TikTok and Google, agreed to settlements with the school district before the trial could begin. According to Reuters, the total settlement payout was about $27 million.

Breathitt County is one of many school districts that have filed similar social media lawsuits. Many other cases have also been filed by families and individuals over claims that certain platforms were designed to be intentionally addictive.

In March, a jury ordered Meta and Google to pay a combined $6 million to a woman who said she developed serious mental health issues after using Instagram and YouTube from a young age.