After Three Huge Losses, Roundup Weed Killer Manufacturer Poised to Settle Mass Torts Case
If you have used the popular weed killer Roundup, you may well have put yourself in serious danger of contracting cancer. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer linked glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, to various types of cancer, including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and leukemia. Thousands of cancer victims have filed suit, and after a string of losses, Roundup manufacturer Monsanto and its parent company Bayer seem ready to reach a global settlement.
The earliest cases in this mass torts litigation to reach trial returned huge verdicts in favor of the plaintiffs. In August 2018, a jury awarded a stricken groundskeeper $289 million in damages, although the judge reduced that amount to a still considerable $78 million. A second jury awarded another victim $80 million in damages, including $75 million in punitive damages, although the verdict was again reduced, this time to a total of $25 million. In May, a married couple won a $2 billion-dollar verdict, later reduced to $87 million. All four plaintiffs suffered from non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a potentially lethal form of cancer that attacks the immune system.
What incensed the juries so much that they awarded these whopping sums? Evidence produced in the trials suggested that the manufacturer deliberately hid the risks of the herbicide by running false and misleading advertisements, falsifying tests, failing to test whether it was carcinogenic, ghostwriting scientific papers, paying supposedly independent groups to promote the product’s purported safety and colluding with friendly regulators.
Bayer may have finally realized that it can no longer deny its liability. A fourth case was about to go to trial in January 2020 when the parties paused the proceedings to negotiate a resolution. This might result in a global settlement of all Roundup claims, ending any further litigation.
If you suffer non-Hodgkins lymphoma, leukemia or other forms of cancer as a result of use or exposure to Roundup, you may be entitled to compensation, but you need to act quickly to take advantage of the global settlement, if and when it comes. The experienced products liability attorneys of Kaufman & McPherson, PLLC provide personal attention and trustworthy, vigorous representation to all of our clients. To consult with us about a possible Roundup claim, call 304-842-4300 or contact us online.