Corporate Litigation and Product Liability

Bayer said Tuesday that its Monsanto unit has proposed a $7.25 billion settlement to resolve remaining lawsuits alleging the Roundup weedkiller caused non-Hodgkin lymphoma, with payments to be made annually over as long as 21 years if courts approve the deal. People diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma after Roundup exposure occurring before the proposal date would be able to file claims under the program, which comes on top of additional, undisclosed Roundup-related settlements worth about $3 billion. Bayer said it is not admitting liability or wrongdoing, but the new agreements will boost its total Roundup litigation liability from €7.8 billion to €11.8 billion (about $13.9 billion). The company has faced tens of thousands of U.S. claims since acquiring Monsanto in 2018 and previously committed up to $10.9 billion to settle some 125,000 filed and unfiled cases, even as juries have continued to return large verdicts, including a $332 million award to a California man in 2023. Roundup remains on sale through major U.S. retailers, and Bayer maintains that the product is safe and thoroughly tested, a stance that continues to clash with plaintiffs’ lawyers, environmental groups and many scientists who argue the company understated cancer risks.