This Settlement resolves a class action lawsuit, Lisa Jones et al. v. Monsanto Company, et al. (No. 4:19-cv-00102-BP), pending in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri (the “Court”) against Monsanto Company, the manufacturer of the Roundup® Ready-to-Use Weed & Grass Killer III, Roundup® Ready-to-Use Weed & Grass Killer Plus, Roundup® Weed & Grass Killer Super Concentrate, and Roundup® Weed & Grass Killer Concentrate Plus (the “Roundup® Products”). The lawsuit alleges the manufacturer includes a false or misleading statement on the label of these Roundup® Products “targets an enzyme found in plants but not in people or pets” or a substantially similar statement
Bayer, the world’s largest seed and pesticide producer, added Roundup to its portfolio when it acquired Monsanto Bayer, which inherited the litigation when it bought Monsanto for $63 billion. Bayer faced tens of thousands of claims linking the weedkiller to cases of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Most of the early lawsuits were brought by homeowners and groundskeepers, although they account for only a tiny portion of Roundup’s sales. Farmers are the biggest customers, and many agricultural associations contend glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup, is safe, effective and better than available alternatives.
The settlement covers an estimated 95,000 cases and includes $1.25 billion for potential future claims from Roundup customers who may develop the form of cancer known as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The company is taking a calculated risk that the benchmark settlement will largely resolve its legal problems. Bayer still faces at least 30,000 claims from plaintiffs who have not agreed to join the settlement.