Supreme Court backs Bayer in 7-2 Roundup cancer warning case
Why it matters: The ruling could wipe out thousands of state failure-to-warn suits tied to glyphosate and protect a proposed $7.25 billion settlement.
The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 on Thursday that Bayer cannot be sued under state law for failing to warn that Roundup may cause cancer, a decision expected to shut down thousands of pending cases. The case centered on Missouri resident John Durnell, who won a $1.25 million jury verdict after developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma following years of using the weedkiller in St. Louis parks. The justices found federal regulators did not require a cancer warning label and had judged a cancer link unlikely. Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, said the ruling should sharply reduce Roundup litigation but that it still plans to move ahead with a proposed $7.25 billion class-action settlement to resolve many remaining claims.