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Bayer wins Roundup cancer trial brought by three women while awaiting settlement ruling
A unanimous St. Louis jury verdict is the first trial result since the Supreme Court limited Roundup claims, and about 65,000 claims are still pending.
This article is general information, not financial, investment or insurance advice. Check the details with a qualified adviser before you decide.
The verdict
Bayer won a trial over claims by three women that its Roundup weedkiller caused their cancer, and the company still faces around 65,000 claims in US state and federal courts. [1] Those claims come from plaintiffs who say they developed cancer after using Roundup. [1]
A St. Louis jury unanimously ruled for Bayer-owned Monsanto. [1] It was the first case to go to trial after the June Supreme Court ruling. [1]
Bayer's US general counsel Bill Dodero said the verdict should signal that plaintiffs pursuing claims after the Durnell ruling will face significant challenges. [1]
What the women argued
The plaintiffs said they used Roundup regularly and later developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma. [1] Their attorneys argued Roundup was defectively designed and unreasonably dangerous, and that Bayer was negligent in selling it. [1]
Bayer denies the claims. [1] It says decades of studies show glyphosate, Roundup's active ingredient, is safe and does not cause cancer. [1]
The three women are not participating in Bayer's proposed settlement. [1]
How the Supreme Court ruling changed the cases
A June US Supreme Court ruling in Bayer's favor limited the legal claims that plaintiffs can bring in Roundup lawsuits. [1] The court blocked lawsuits based on claims that Roundup's label failed to warn of cancer risks. [1]
It ruled that federal law requires herbicide makers to use the exact label approved by the EPA. [1] The EPA has concluded that Roundup's label does not require a cancer warning. [1]
The science dispute
In 2015 the International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that glyphosate was probably carcinogenic to humans. [1] Bayer says that opinion is an outlier based on flawed methodology. [1]
The settlement and the cost to Bayer
Bayer is seeking to resolve tens of thousands of other Roundup lawsuits through a proposed $7.25 billion settlement. [1] The company was awaiting a broader ruling from a separate court on that effort. [1]
A final decision on the proposal by a Missouri state court judge is the key remaining step. [2] CEO Bill Anderson has pledged to significantly contain Bayer's legal overhang by the end of this year. [2]
The litigation has weighed on Bayer since its 2018 acquisition of Monsanto. [1] It has cost the company billions of dollars and driven down its share price. [1]
What this means for you
If you follow Roundup litigation as an insurer or an investor, the Missouri judge's final decision on the $7.25 billion settlement is the step to watch. [2] That proposal is meant to resolve tens of thousands of other lawsuits. [1]
If you are a plaintiff weighing a claim, the June ruling bars lawsuits built on a failure to warn of cancer risks on the label. [1] Bayer's counsel says plaintiffs who pursue claims after the Durnell ruling will face significant challenges. [1]
Sources
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