Monsanto recently won the seventh bellwether trial in the Roundup MDL on September 1, 2022. This verdict was the fifth consecutive win for the Bayer subsidiary despite significant verdicts for plaintiffs back in 2018. Bayer announced that the jury determined that Roundup was not responsible for the plaintiffs’ cancer.
Roundup Lawsuits Allege Weed Killer Causes Cancer
Farmers and home gardeners alike in the United States frequently use the herbicide Roundup to kill weeds and ensure a healthy crop harvest. Introduced by the agrochemical company Monsanto in 1974, Roundup quickly became a staple in commercial agricultural practices. Eventually, even average citizens adopted the use of Roundup to maintain residential fixtures, and today more than 250 million pounds of Roundup are sprayed on lawns, gardens, and playgrounds.
The active ingredient in Roundup is a highly effective non-selective weed killer known as glyphosate. However, a long-standing heated debate over the safety of glyphosate persists today. While the Environmental Protection Agency maintains that there is no evidence to suggest that glyphosate causes cancer in humans, the World Health Organization labeled glyphosate as a “probable human carcinogen” in 2015. Furthermore, testing conducted by various agencies suggests a link between glyphosate and humans developing cancer.
Monsanto faces roughly 26,000 lawsuits in state courts and over 4,000 in a federal multidistrict litigation for claims that Roundup caused plaintiffs to develop cancer. Although the Roundup manufacturer and its parent company vehemently deny the allegations that Roundup causes cancer, Monsanto has paid $11 billion in settlement agreements in Roundup cancer lawsuits.
Monsanto Prevails in Seventh Bellwether Trial
Alesi, et al. v. Monsanto, et al. took place in St. Louis, Missouri, and involved three plaintiffs between the ages of 60 and 70 who all claimed that they regularly used Roundup for years and developed lymphoma as a result. Plaintiffs argued that Monsanto knew about the cancer risks associated with glyphosate but neglected to warn the public. However, the jury ruled in favor of Monsanto, which marks the fifth consecutive win for the company.