A report published by Environmental Health News claims some plaintiffs are unhappy with the $10 billion proposed settlement negotiated between Bayer AG, the maker of Roundup weed killer, and tens of thousands of consumers suing the company.

The website posted a story July 30 saying as plaintiffs are being informed of the details of the tentative agreement, some are discovering they “could end up with little to no money, depending upon a range of factors.” All of the cases involve claims that Roundup caused the plaintiffs or their spouses to develop cancer. In some cases, plaintiffs might have to use the settlement money to pay back insurance providers that covered the cost of their cancer treatment, the story says.

Roundup Cancer Settlement Background

Bayer has been negotiating with lawyers in the 95,000 cases involved in the proposed Roundup cancer settlement since 2019. The two sides reached a tentative $10.5 billion agreement in June and submitted it for court approval.

Judge Vince Chhabria of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, who is presiding over the matter, issued an order July 6 saying he was inclined to reject the proposal, but not because of the impact it would have on the existing plaintiffs. Instead, the judge took issue with the settlement setting $1.25 billion aside to handle future claims from Roundup customers who might develop health problems and creating a panel of experts who would be empowered to decide whether Roundup’s key ingredient – glyphosate – causes cancer. That would limit the rights of future plaintiffs, he said.

A hearing on the proposed settlement was scheduled to take place July 24, 2020. Bayer said it would consider the judge’s concerns.

Roundup Suspected of Increasing Risk of Cancer

Roundup herbicide has been the subject of vigorous debate, and hundreds of thousands of claims it causes cancer, or at least a higher risk of cancer, for decades.

In April 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reinforced its position that glyphosate is safe, saying that, based on its research, the chemical poses no risk and “is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans.”

On the other hand, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer research division of the World Health Organization, classified glyphosate as ” probably carcinogenic to humans” in 2015, based on what it called “limited evidence” of cancer in people and “sufficient evidence” of cancer in study animals.

Report Says Plaintiffs Are Unhappy With Roundup Cancer Settlement

According to the article published by Environmental Health News, the plaintiffs involved in the proposed Roundup cancer settlement have been told they must decide soon whether to accept the offer, though they won’t be told until much later what amount of money they will be awarded. Plaintiffs who accept the settlement might end up having to use some of the money they get to pay back Medicare or private insurance for their medical care, the author of the story says some plaintiffs told her.

The Environmental Health News story does not identify any of the plaintiffs cited in the article. It says the author “has reviewed documents sent to multiple plaintiffs.”

Some of the plaintiffs mentioned in the article are reportedly unhappy about being warned not to discuss the details of the proposed settlement with anyone outside their immediate families and financial advisors. If they do, the story says, they could face sanctions.

Letters sent to some of the plaintiffs from the law firms representing them explain the process by which their Roundup cancer settlement awards would be calculated and distributed, the Environmental Health News story says. The article notes they “vary from law firm to law firm, meaning similarly situated plaintiffs may end up with vastly different individual settlements.”

Join a Roundup Weed Killer Cancer Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

You may qualify for this Roundup cancer lawsuit investigation if you were diagnosed with one of these conditions after using Roundup:

• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• B-cell lymphoma
• T-cell lymphoma
• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
• Hairy cell lymphoma

See if you qualify by filling out the form on this page for a case evaluation with an experienced Roundup lawsuit attorney. 

Get a Case Evaluation

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.