A $7.25 billion settlement over claims that Roundup herbicide caused cancer may now face delays.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Proposed project could be delayed $7.25 billion settlement Covers thousands of claims that the makers of Roundup herbicide failed to warn people that the product could cause cancer.
An attorney opposing the settlement filed documents Friday to move the case to federal court instead of Missouri state courts, where people face a June 4 deadline to opt out of the settlement. A dispute over who should chair the proposed settlement could disrupt its deadline and delay a resolution on whether it should be approved.
Legal debate over settlement unfolds United States Supreme Court Weighing a case that could block thousands of lawsuits filed in state courts against agrichemical maker Bayer, the company added Overview of its investment portfolio In 2018, Bayer acquired Missouri-based Monsanto. Bayer argued that state claims it failed to warn about cancer risks should be barred because it followed federal labeling standards that did not require warnings.
Germany’s Bayer AG has also disputed claims that glyphosate, a key ingredient in Roundup, may cause non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
The Environmental Protection Agency has determined Unlikely to cause cancer Effects on humans when used as directed. But the plaintiffs pointed to a 2015 decision by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer that classified the chemical as “possibly carcinogenic.”
The case before the Supreme Court is Submitted on behalf of John Dunellwho said he developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma more than 20 years after spraying a community garden in St. Louis with Roundup. Dunell is not included in the proposed class-action settlement. But his attorney, Ashley Keller, filed objections on behalf of several other clients, opting out of the settlement and then also filed a document moving the settlement to federal court.
“This is a huge settlement that is taking away the rights of tens of thousands of cancer victims,” Keller said Friday. “It was rushed to state court.”
Filing a lawsuit in federal court is certain to be met with opposition.
Attorney Christopher Seeger, named to represent the plaintiffs in the settlement, condemned the court’s reversal as a “baseless delaying tactic that should be immediately dismissed.”
A statement from Bayer said the move had “no merit” and that it would work to keep the proceedings in state court.
this Propose a nationwide solution The lawsuit was filed in February in St. Louis, Missouri Circuit Court. It is intended to resolve most pending Roundup lawsuits, as well as any other cases filed in the coming years by people exposed to Roundup. But Bayer reserves the right to cancel if too many claimants opt out.
A settlement hearing is scheduled for July 9 in state court. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the Dunell case by the end of June.
The proposed settlement would require Bayer to make annual payments to a special fund for 21 years, totaling up to $7.25 billion. The amount paid to an individual will vary based on how they use Roundup, their age at diagnosis and the severity of their non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Under the proposed settlement, agricultural, industrial or lawn workers who were chronically exposed to Roundup and were diagnosed with the invasive disease under age 60 would receive an average of $165,000 in compensation. But those diagnosed at age 78 or older will receive an average of $10,000.
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