Legal fight could delay a proposed $7B settlement for lawsuits in Roundup cancer claims
JEFFERSON CITY, MO. (AP) — There may be delays in the $7.25 billion bid by the maker of the Roundup weedkiller that covers thousands of claims that the product failed to warn people that the product could cause cancer.
An attorney opposing the settlement filed paperwork Friday to move the case to federal court instead of Missouri court; here people will face a June 4 deadline to withdraw from the deal. Disagreement over who should head the proposed agreement could disrupt its deadlines and delay the decision on whether to approve the agreement.
Legal conflict regarding the solution continues US Supreme Court is considering a lawsuit that could block thousands of lawsuits filed in state courts against pesticide maker Bayer. Summary of your portfolio When Bayer acquired Missouri-based Monsanto in 2018. Bayer argues that state-level claims that it does not warn about cancer risks should be banned because it follows federal labeling standards that do not require warnings.
Germany-based Bayer also disputes claims that glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, can cause non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
The Environmental Protection Agency determined that: not likely to be carcinogenic To humans when used as directed. But the plaintiffs point to a 2015 decision by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer that classified the chemical as “probably carcinogenic.”
The case heard in the Supreme Court was as follows: Filed under John DurnellFor over 20 years, St. The man who said he developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after spraying Roundup on a community garden in St. Louis. Durnell is not covered by the proposed class action settlement. But his attorney, Ashley Keller, filed objections, waiving the settlement on behalf of several other clients, before filing a brief to move the settlement case to federal court.
“This is a massive settlement that eliminates the rights of tens of thousands of cancer victims,” Keller said in a statement Friday. he said. “He was rushed to state court.”
Moving to federal court is certain to face opposition.
Christopher Seeger, the attorney proposed as the plaintiffs’ representative in the settlement, condemned the court change as “a baseless delaying tactic that must be rejected immediately.”
In a statement, Bayer said that this move “has no merit” and will help the case continue in state court.
proposed settlement throughout the country St., Missouri, in February. The lawsuit was filed in St. Louis Circuit Court. It is designed to address the majority of pending Roundup lawsuits, as well as additional lawsuits filed by people exposed to Roundup in the coming years. However, if the number of requests is too high, Bayer reserves the right to cancel it.
A hearing on the settlement is scheduled for July 9 in state court. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is expected to make a decision in Durnell’s case by the end of June.
The proposed deal calls for Bayer to make annual payments totaling $7.25 billion into a special fund for up to 21 years. The amount of money paid to individuals will vary depending on how they use Roundup, how old they are when they are diagnosed, and the severity of their non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Under the proposed settlement, an agricultural, industrial or lawn worker with long-term exposure to Roundup would be given an average of $165,000 if diagnosed with an aggressive form of the disease while under age 60. However, those diagnosed at age 78 and over will receive an average of $10,000.
