Bayer has reached up to $2 billion agreement with plaintiffs’ attorneys to settle future lawsuits over claims that its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer.
The settlement will provide future plaintiffs, who contract non-Hodgkin lymphoma after using Roundup, up to $200,000 in compensation.
Bayer inherited thousands of lawsuits against Roundup inventor Monsanto Co. when it acquired the U.S. agriculture giant for $63 billion in 2018.
Bayer said plaintiffs’ class counsel are filing Wednesday a motion for preliminary approval of the class agreement with Judge Vince Chhabria of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, who presides over the Monsanto Roundup multi-district litigation.
Bayer noted that elements of the revised plan include the establishment of a fund to compensate qualified claimants during an initial four-year program, an advisory science panel whose findings would not be preclusive but can be used as evidence in potential future litigation involving class members, and a robust notice program. The plan also includes research and diagnostic programs that were part of the original class agreement.
Monsanto will request permission from the Environmental Protection Agency to include a link to information concerning whether Roundup Products cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma on all Roundup labels.