The story

Judge Timothy Boyer of the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis held a hearing on September 14 to consider final approval of a $7.25 billion settlement proposed by Bayer's Monsanto unit. The settlement, announced in February, is designed to resolve nearly all current and future U.S. lawsuits claiming that Roundup weedkiller causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Bayer faces approximately 65,000 claims in U.S. state and federal courts from plaintiffs who say they developed cancer after using Roundup at home or on the job. Boyer is not expected to issue an immediate ruling and invited supporters and opponents to submit additional filings by the end of the week.

The proposed settlement offers payouts ranging from $10,000 to $165,000 to people who were exposed to Roundup and developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The exact award depends on factors such as the severity of the cancer, the person's age when diagnosed, and whether exposure occurred at home or at work. The settlement covers people exposed to Roundup in the United States before February 17, 2026, and would affect them even if they have not been diagnosed with cancer. Bayer has denied the claims and said that decades of studies have shown Roundup's key ingredient, glyphosate, is safe and does not cause cancer.

Supporters of the settlement, including some plaintiffs' attorneys, argue it ensures compensation at a time when litigation has become more uncertain following a June Supreme Court ruling. Attorney Hunter Shkolnik told Boyer that 800 or 900 of his firm's 3,000 Roundup clients initially wanted to opt out but reconsidered after the Supreme Court sided with Monsanto. The Supreme Court ruled 7 to 2 in June that federal pesticide law bars state lawsuits claiming Monsanto failed to include a cancer warning on Roundup labels. Opponents say the deal does not offer enough money and effectively blocks claimants who want to pursue lawsuits in court. Monsanto attorney James Bennett told the judge the company is prepared to fight the lawsuits if the deal is rejected, saying there is not another settlement. The litigation has weighed on Bayer since its 2018 acquisition of Monsanto, following a 2020 settlement worth approximately $10 billion that resolved many existing lawsuits but left Bayer exposed to future claims.