Monsanto parent company Bayer AG is working out a settlement agreement with Roundup lawsuit lawyers who represent thousands of U.S. plaintiffs.

Bayer faces lawsuits filed by tens of thousands of plaintiffs who allege Roundup herbicides caused them to develop cancer. Most of the cases involve a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of immune system cancer.

People who are close to the settlement talks told the Wall Street Journal that the settlement allegedly is around $10 billion, but also warned that the deal could fail to materialize because of several mitigating factors.

Bayer has made it clear that the settlement would need to include protection from future litigation, but either side could throw up their hands and decide the settlement is not adequate for those they represent.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Bayer is feeling pressure to settle the cases before its annual shareholders meeting set for the end of April. Investors have expressed they want a Roundup settlement finalized in order to put the cases behind them and allow the company to move forward without the distraction of tens of thousands of pending lawsuits.

Court-appointed mediator Kenneth Feinberg, who is overseeing the settlement discussions, told the Wall Street Journal that even though he is “cautiously optimistic that a settlement can be reached” that it would be “premature” to announce the agreement had been finalized.

Bayer bought Monsanto in June 2018 for more than $60 billion in an effort to expand its pharmaceutical business to include agribusiness. Monsanto’s claim to fame is Roundup herbicides, a chemical soup that includes glyphosate as its only listed active ingredient. In an effort to capitalize on the widespread use of the herbicide, Monsanto created Roundup Ready seeds, which are genetically modified organisms (GMO) that are able to withstand a good soaking with the chemical and not wither away like weak weeds around the GMO crops do.

Even though the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said Roundup does not cause cancer, the International Agency for Research (IARC) declared in 2015 that glyphosate is linked to an increased risk of cancer.

Some studies have shown that the mixture of chemicals that create Roundup is more toxic to cells than glyphosate alone. In 2002, J. Marc led a study in France that indicated Roundup damaged the first cell cycle of a sea urchin embryo even though glyphosate by itself did not inflict such harm.

Monsanto has kept the “inert” ingredients secret for years, alleging the company has the right to not share the recipe if glyphosate is the only “active” ingredient.

The French researchers led by Marc said the evidence of Roundup interfering with cell development proves a “synergy between glyphosate and Roundup formulation products.”

Roundup Lawsuit Lawyers Look to Previous Jury Awards

Roundup lawsuit lawyers have multi-million-dollar settlements and jury-awarded compensation amounts to back their position for more money for current plaintiffs.

In the case of former school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson of California, Bayer was ordered to pay him $78.5 million. Johnson testified he had used Roundup about 30 times a year. At least twice, he accidentally had spilled a large amount of it on himself. He was diagnosed with terminal non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and filed his lawsuit in 2016. A jury originally awarded the man $289 million, but a judge cut the award on appeal.

Edwin Hardeman also filed suit against Monsanto after Hardeman was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that he claimed developed because of his use of Roundup from the 1980s until 2015. In March 2019, Hardeman was awarded $80 million by a San Francisco jury who believed Roundup was a major factor in the man’s development of the cancer.

Finally, Alva and Alberta Pilliod were awarded $2 billion by a jury after the senior citizens filed suit against Roundup. The Pilliods both developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after years of using Roundup. A judge reduced the award to $87 million.

If you or a loved one developed cancer after using Roundup as a farm worker or home gardener, you may have a legal claim. Legal migrant farm workers may also seek help. Learn more by filling out the form on this page for a FREE case evaluation.

Learn More