Bayer Agrees to Pay $10B to Roundup Victims

German chemical and pharmaceutical giant Bayer recently agreed to pay over $10 billion to settle tens of thousands of claims that its weed killer Roundup caused cancer (Roundup Maker to Pay $10 Billion to Settle Cancer Suits).

The deal is one of the largest legal settlements in United States history, involving agreements with 25 different law firms for widely varying amounts. “It’s rare that we see a consensual settlement with that many zeros on it,” said Stanford University Law School professor Nora Freeman Engstrom.

The settlement covers nearly 100,000 cases and allocates $1.25 billion for possible claims in the future involving plaintiffs who have developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma from using Roundup. Bayer is gambling that the settlement will largely resolve the legal issues created by its purchase of Roundup manufacturer Monsanto, despite an additional 30,000 claims that are not subject to the terms of the agreement.

Because Bayer had lost the first three Roundup cases that went to trial, including a jury award of $2 billion, plaintiffs’ lawyers had demanded upwards of $30 billion to settle the litigation. But the COVID-19 pandemic, which has closed many courts across the country, presumably caused the plaintiffs to agree to a lesser amount. “The pandemic worked to the advantage of settlement because the threat of a scheduled trial was unavailable,” Court-appointed mediator Kenneth R. Feinberg said.

Feinberg added that most current claimants will likely eventually agree to the settlement. “In my experience, all those cases that have not yet been settled will quickly be resolved by settlement,” Feinberg said. “I will be surprised if there are any future trials.”

This settlement will make it much more difficult for Roundup victims who have not yet filed suit to receive compensation for their claims. Despite the fact that much of society has only partially reopened as a result of the pandemic, time is running out for you to seek the advice of an attorney if you believe you may have suffered from exposure to Roundup.

Please call Davis, Bethune & Jones at 1-800-875-5972 for a free consultation. Our experienced personal injury attorneys will ensure that your rights are protected and you receive the compensation you deserve.