Monsanto Roundup Lawsuit
We Are No Longer Accepting New Monsanto Roundup Cases
Monsanto Roundup (glyphosate) weed killer is designated as a probable human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an arm of the World Health Organization (WHO). Farmers, farmworkers, landscapers, gardeners, and others who use Roundup weed killer or other glyphosate-based herbicides are at risk for developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other forms of cancer.
Faced with the prospect of paying massive medical bills and losing wages due to a cancer diagnosis, consumers from across the United States who were exposed to Roundup are making the decision to file a Roundup cancer lawsuit against Monsanto (now Bayer).
Roundup Settlement Update - Monsanto (Bayer) Agrees to Pay $10.9 Billion
On June 24, 2020, Bayer AG publicly announced that the multinational company had reached settlement agreements in principle with five of the leading law firms in the Roundup cancer litigation. The agreements would resolve more than 100,000 Roundup lawsuits for roughly $11 billion.
The agreements were reached after more than a year of negotiations and three consecutive trial losses for Bayer. Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman served on the trial teams for all three of those trials and the firm’s vice president and a senior shareholder R. Brent Wisner served as co-lead counsel in two of the three cases, delivering the opening and closing statements. The trials resulted in a combined $2.424 billion in jury verdicts for the plaintiffs. Mr. Wisner was also an integral part of the settlement negotiations with Bayer.
Appellate Win for Plaintiff in Hardeman v. Monsanto
Mr. Hardeman’s case was the second Roundup cancer case to go to trial. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Mr. Hardeman on May 14, 2021 when they denied Bayer / Monsanto’s appeal to overturn his verdict.
Statement from co-counsel representing Mr. Hardeman:
“Mr. Hardeman is very pleased that the Ninth Circuit affirmed the jury’s verdict. The Court ruled that ‘substantial evidence of Monsanto’s malice was presented to the jury, supporting punitive damages.” Internal emails showed that Monsanto knew of the risk of cancer and failed to warn consumers like Mr. Hardeman. Today is significant for consumers holding pesticide companies like Monsanto accountable for causing thousands of people cancer.”
Appellate Win for Plaintiff in Johnson v. Monsanto
Mr. Johnson’s case was the first Roundup cancer case to go to trial against Monsanto. On July 20, 2020, The California Courts of Appeal First Appellate District ruled in favor or Mr. Johnson when they denied Bayer / Monsanto’s appeal to overturn his verdict.
Statement by Co-Lead Trial Counsel and Baum Hedlund Senior Shareholder R. Brent Wisner:
"This is another major victory for Lee and his family. Nearly every
argument by Monsanto was rejected, including Monsanto's vaunted preemption
defense, and the verdict was upheld. The reduction in damages is a function
of a deep flaw in California tort law, not the merits of the case. Basically,
California law does not allow a plaintiff to recover for a shortened life
expectancy. This effectively rewards a defendant for killing a plaintiff,
as opposed to just injuring him. It is madness. That Lee will not live
an entire life with his wife and children should be compensable. Hopefully,
when the issue gets before the California Supreme Court, we can change
this irrational law."
-July 20, 2020