Mediator Says Roundup Settlement Near
A recent article in Bloomberg News suggested that Bayer may be close to settling over 75,000 cancer claims resulting from its sales of Roundup weed-killer after the number of claims nearly doubled since September 2019 (Bayer Roundup Deal Is Close as Claims Surge, Mediator Says). Court-appointed mediator Ken Feinberg said that he is “cautiously optimistic” a comprehensive deal will be reached within the next month.
In its third quarter report, Bayer disclosed that it had received 42,700 Roundup claims. Feinberg added that the caseload has increased to between 75,000 and 85,000 and “maybe more,” but declined to elaborate on the terms of a possible settlement.
Bayer postponed a number of Roundup trials in favor of mediation after losing three California trials totaling $191 million in damages. Bayer is appealing the verdicts.
Two new trials, one in California, and one in Missouri, have recently gotten underway, but
Feinberg said there should be no adverse effect on the likelihood of a settlement. “I don’t believe it’s going to have any lasting impact on the ongoing effort by myself to reach a comprehensive settlement of all these cases nationwide,” Feinberg said.
Feinberg was asked if he thought a settlement would be reached before the conclusion of the ongoing trials, which are expected to last several months. “I don’t think it’ll take that long,” Feinberg said. “The effort continues, it is a full-time preoccupation. We shall see, I’ve been wrong before.”
A settlement of the existing Roundup claims may be an indication that Bayer is looking to resolve these cases in the early stages in order to limit its potential future litigation exposure. “If a comprehensive settlement is indeed achieved in the near term it would be a stunning achievement by the company and the mediator,” said Anna Pavlik, senior counsel for special situations at United First Partners LLC in New York, “Without knowing the per-plaintiff payouts of any such settlement it is hard to judge why the plaintiffs’ lawyers would agree so early in the game to settle, given significant victories under their belt.”
Bayer stock prices have been rising as a result of the settlement rumors, providing an explanation for Bayer’s willingness to offer billions of dollars in compensation to Roundup’s victims. If you have non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma or another form of cancer and have been exposed to Roundup, it is crucial that you act now before Bayer decides it is more profitable to deny these claims in the future.
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.
