Monsanto’s Roundup trial Winston v. Monsanto set to begin in St. Louis on Oct. 15 has been postponed by the plaintiffs involved and defendant Bayer Co.

According to Reuters, the particular herbicide lawsuit in question is one of many and is for the purpose of gaining time to come to a generalized settlement between Bayer and U.S. litigants claiming Monsanto’s Roundup with glyphosate caused them or a loved one to develop cancer. Purportedly, high-profile mediator Ken Feinberg, previously involved with administrating the British Petroleum (BP) Deepwater Horizon disaster victim compensation fund, has been retained to assist negotiations.

In a separate Claims Journal article of Oct. 7, 2019, it was noted that there are now over 18,000 claims alleging that Monsanto and its acquired owner Bayer failed to warn of glyphosate’s carcinogenic dangers. Bayer continues to deny the hazardous properties of Roundup, claiming no responsibility for cancers plaguing those that used their product over several years.

The High Cost of Litigation

Despite their maintenance of safety and no wrongdoing with respect to providing adequate usage warnings, Bayer is still facing significant financial consequences from the tsunami of cases involving them. As indicated by the Claims Journal, $30 billion in market value has evaporated in the face of this ever-growing volume of cases. Estimates from various sources have placed the cost of settlement between $2.5 and $20 billion.

The total price tag for Bayer acquiring Monsanto in 2018 was $63 billion, so the figures above represent an enormous hit to the company. Nevertheless, settlement in the face of recent plaintiff wins might be the most cost-saving choice over continuing to fight the onslaught of trials.

California Losses

In mid-May 2019, according to a Bloomberg.com article, Bayer lost a lawsuit in California in which a couple claimed their 30-year use of Roundup caused their cancers to develop. The cost of this loss was $2 billion. Two additional California trials were also decided in favor of the plaintiffs and yielded the litigants a combined amount of $159 million.

Now that last August’s schedule of new trials and this most recent one have been postponed, it is believed that Bayer will focus on appealing these California lawsuits. They maintain that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) holds that the majority consensus among global health regulators is that glyphosate is not a cancer-causing agent.

Despite this claim, the State of California listed glyphosate on its Proposition 65 list. Proposition 65 requires businesses that are headquartered or operate in California to warn about exposures to chemicals through products that can cause cancer or harm to the body’s reproductive system. By listing as such a chemical, the government has taken the stand that glyphosate is carcinogenic.

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.

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