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Court ruling advances Bayer Roundup settlement in Missouri

A staff attorney with the National Ag Law Center says a recent district court’s rejection on Roundup litigation could benefit Bayer, keeping the proposed settlement process in Missouri courts as litigation continues.

Brigit Rollins tells Brownfield the situation is complex.

A U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Missouri recently rejected an attempt by 10 non-Hodgkin lymphoma plaintiffs to remove a proposed Roundup class-action settlement from Missouri state court to federal court, and now, the plaintiffs have asked the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals to review the decision.

“It’s significant either way, because that Missouri court has preemptively approved the settlement agreement.

She says the court hasn’t decided whether it will approve the agreement, but it’s expected.

“It could go quite a long way to helping to resolve many of these ongoing cases and potentially even future cases that have not been filed yet could be subject to this settlement agreement.”

Rollins says more legal certainty could help keep glyphosate available for farmers.

Glyphosate has faced numerous legal challenges over the years from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma plaintiffs who say Monsanto has failed to adequately warn users about potential cancer risks. Rollins says the ongoing litigation is getting expensive for Bayer, which acquired Monsanto.

In a statement, Monsanto says the court’s decision brings much needed clarity and will enable the class approval process to move forward…Monsanto says the class settlement is fair, and the objections have no merit.

This update comes ahead of a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court on failure to warn, which Rollins says is expected later this month or in early July.