As of April 2023, there are several ongoing lawsuits and legal battles related to Roundup, a popular herbicide produced by the company Monsanto (now owned by Bayer). Roundup contains the active ingredient glyphosate, which has been linked to a variety of health problems, including cancer. The lawsuits against Monsanto/Bayer allege that the company failed to adequately warn consumers of the potential health risks associated with Roundup use, and that the company engaged in deceptive marketing practices.
One of the most high-profile lawsuits related to Roundup is the case of Johnson v. Monsanto. In 2018, a jury awarded Dewayne Johnson, a former school groundskeeper who developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after using Roundup on the job, $289 million in damages. This award was later reduced to $78 million on appeal, but the verdict was still seen as a significant blow to Monsanto/Bayer.
Since the Johnson verdict, there have been numerous other lawsuits filed against Monsanto/Bayer related to Roundup. In 2020, the company announced that it had reached a settlement of $10.9 billion to resolve around 95,000 Roundup-related lawsuits. However, this settlement has not been approved by all plaintiffs, and there are ongoing legal challenges to the settlement.
In addition to the lawsuits, there have been other developments related to Roundup and glyphosate. In 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it would review the safety of glyphosate as part of its regular registration review process. This review is expected to take several years, and could potentially lead to new restrictions or warnings related to glyphosate use.
In Europe, there have been several significant developments related to glyphosate. In 2022, the European Union announced that it would ban the use of glyphosate in non-agricultural settings, such as public parks and gardens, by the end of 2023. Additionally, several European countries, including France and Austria, have banned the use of glyphosate in agriculture.
Overall, the Roundup lawsuits and legal battles are ongoing, and it remains to be seen how they will ultimately be resolved. While the $10.9 billion settlement reached by Monsanto/Bayer is a significant amount of money, it is still being challenged by some plaintiffs, and there are likely to be more lawsuits filed in the future related to Roundup and glyphosate. Additionally, the ongoing review of glyphosate by the EPA and the bans on glyphosate use in Europe could have significant implications for the future of this controversial herbicide.
