Roundup Lawsuit

As of August 15, 2023, there were 4,222 Roundup lawsuit cases still open in federal multidistrict litigation in California — up from 4,212 in July 2023.

Roundup lawyers are still accepting claims to go to trial potentially or to negotiate a settlement. Bayer offered $10.9 billion to settle roughly 100,000 existing Roundup claims, but a judge didn’t allow the company to settle all future claims for $2 billion.

• June 2023: Several plaintiffs filed a handful of new cases, bringing the total MDL caseload to 4,193. The highest number in the MDL was 4,630. Bayer also settled claims for misleading consumers about the environmental effects of Roundup.
• May 2023: Monsanto won the latest trial in St. Louis, Missouri against plaintiff Sharlean Gordon. This was the company’s seventh consecutive win.
• May 2023: 4,176 Roundup lawsuits remained open in federal multidistrict litigation in California
• September 2022: Monsanto won its fifth consecutive trial in St. Louis, Missouri.
• May 2021: San Francisco Judge Vince Chhabria denied Bayer’s Roundup class-action lawsuit offer to settle future Roundup cancer claims for $2 billion.
• June 2020: Bayer offered $10.9 billion to settle about 100,000 Roundup weed killer lawsuit claims.
• May 2019: California state jury awarded $2 billion to a Roundup plaintiff.
• March 2019: California state jury awarded $80 million to a Roundup plaintiff.
• August 2018: California state jury awarded $289 million to a Roundup plaintiff.

On June 15, 2023, Bayer agreed to pay $6.9 million to resolve claims filed by the New York Attorney General stating the company misled consumers on the safety of Roundup in the environment. The settlement funds will go to reducing the effect of pesticides on pollinators and aquatic species.

According to Judge Vince Chhabria, the $2 billion Bayer offered to settle future Roundup cancer claims was unreasonable, Reuters reported. He told the parties to come up with a better offer and present it to the court.

“Bayer [which recently acquired Monsanto] is a massive, wealthy company, and it continues to make money specifically from Roundup sales. Nor is there any indication that the company will cease its efforts to settle cases,” Judge Vince Chhabria said in his order denying the motion for settlement in May 2021. “As recently as last week, Bayer stated publicly that it remains committed to settling Monsanto’s Roundup litigation. This is not surprising because the alternative to settling — continuing to lose trials left and right — is not attractive.”

People are filing Roundup weed killer lawsuits because they claim Monsanto’s herbicide caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma or related cancers. Plaintiffs say Monsanto and its parent company, Bayer, didn’t warn the public about the cancer risks. Lawsuits also claim the company actively deceived the public about Roundup’s safety.

Monsanto internal communications, referred to in litigation as the “Monsanto Papers,” revealed that the company may have hidden Roundup’s link to cancer for years. These papers reportedly showed evidence of the company’s friendly relationships with regulators and other tactics to hide science that linked glyphosate to cancer.

Bayer stands by the safety of its product and denies Roundup’s link to cancer. However, the company has said it will stop selling residential formulas of Roundup in 2023. Commercial formulas will still be available.

Injuries Named in Roundup Lawsuits

Lawyers are filing Roundup lawsuits on behalf of individuals with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects white blood cells. There are also several related cancers in lawsuits.

Glyphosate’s connection to cancer is controversial because of differing opinions from regulatory agencies. According to the World Health Organization, Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate, is a probable human carcinogen. But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concluded that glyphosate is “not likely to be carcinogenic to humans.”

Independent studies have found links between glyphosate and cancer. For example, researchers from the University of Washington published a glyphosate study in the scientific journal Mutation Research. Researchers found agricultural workers exposed to a large amount of glyphosate had a 41% increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma compared to people with light or no exposure.

However, more than 800 studies submitted to the EPA confirm glyphosate “can be used safely and that glyphosate does not cause cancer,” according to Bayer.

Monsanto/Bayer offered plaintiffs more than $10 billion to settle approximately 80% of Roundup lawsuits, or more than 100,000 cases. Roundup lawyers are still accepting cases.

If you or a loved one are a farmer, landscaper or agricultural worker who used Roundup regularly and developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma or related conditions, you could be eligible to file a Roundup weed killer lawsuit. While some Roundup plaintiffs have already received compensation, others are expected to receive their settlement money in 2023.

Some people filed individual Roundup cancer lawsuits demanding compensation for their injuries after they developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma or other serious health conditions. Others filed Roundup class-action lawsuit claims, demanding to be reimbursed for the cost of the products.

Roundup Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Lawsuit

California resident Donnetta Stephens filed a Roundup lawsuit against Monsanto, Wilbur-Ellis Nutrition, Crown Ace Hardware and others in August 2020. Stephens applied Roundup to her yard twice a week from 2000 to 2017 during the months of April through September. In December 2017, doctors diagnosed her with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Stephens was exposed to Roundup and developed cancer “as a direct and proximate result of the wrongful conduct, acts, omissions, fraudulent concealments and fraudulent business practices by Defendants,” the lawsuit said.

Roundup Class-Action Lawsuit

Lisa Jones, Horacio Torres Bonilla and Kristoffer Yee filed a Roundup class-action lawsuit in February 2019 on behalf of themselves and others who purchased Roundup.

According to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Monsanto engaged in deceptive marketing practices to sell its products. Namely, that glyphosate targets an enzyme not present in people or pets.

However, the enzyme, EPSP synthase, “is critical to the health and well-being of humans and other mammals, including their immune system, digestion, allergies, metabolism and brain function,” according to the complaint. Plaintiffs demand a refund for the purchase price of Roundup products.

Although Bayer offered up to $10.9 billion to settle more than Roundup 100,000 claims, thousands of cases are still pending. Bayer offered close to $2 billion to settle future claims, but the judge denied the settlement in 2021. He has asked both sides to come up with another proposal.

People could still be diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma after using Roundup, and there could be future Roundup settlements and jury verdicts for these claimants. Lawyers are still accepting claims for potential settlement or jury trial.

An experienced Roundup lawyer can help you through the complex process of filing a Roundup lawsuit against mega corporations such as Bayer. Environmental lawyers with extensive experience in toxic substances like pesticides can also help you negotiate settlements and prove your case in court.

Roundup lawyers with proven results in large environmental cases are more likely to have the skills and experience to represent clients against Bayer.

Drugwatch partners with the award-winning national firm of Weitz & Luxenberg. It was the first law firm to file Roundup lawsuits against Monsanto as far back as 2015. The firm was co-lead counsel in the California Roundup MDL and was instrumental in negotiating a multi-billion-dollar Roundup settlement for more than 100,000 claimants. W&L has also helped obtain billions of dollars in settlements for people affected by water contamination and other environmental toxins.

“It has been a long journey, but we are very pleased that we’ve achieved justice for the tens of thousands of people who, through no fault of their own, are suffering from non-Hodgkin lymphoma after using a product Monsanto assured them was safe,” Robin Greenwald, Practice Group Chair, Environmental Pollution and Consumer Protection at Weitz & Luxenberg, said in a press release.