Supreme Court to Decide if Roundup Lawsuits Can Continue

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to take on a significant case involving Bayer and its popular weedkiller, Roundup. The issue at hand is whether people can sue Bayer for cancer claims under state laws, given that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not found Roundup to be a cancer risk.

Bayer's Stance

Bayer is hoping the Supreme Court will rule in its favor, which could greatly reduce the number of lawsuits it faces. The company argues that since the EPA has not required a cancer warning on Roundup, it should not be held liable under state laws for not warning consumers about cancer risks.

Current Lawsuits

There are currently around 65,000 lawsuits against Bayer related to Roundup. Many people claim they developed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and other cancers from using the weedkiller. Bayer has already spent about $10 billion to settle many of these cases, but new lawsuits keep coming.

The Case at Hand

The case the Supreme Court will hear involves a man named John Durnell, who was awarded $1.25 million by a St. Louis jury after he claimed Roundup caused his cancer. Bayer appealed this decision, and now the Supreme Court will decide if such lawsuits can proceed.

Bayer's Acquisition and Safety Claims

Bayer acquired Roundup when it bought Monsanto in 2018. The company maintains that decades of studies show Roundup and its main ingredient, glyphosate, are safe for humans. The EPA has repeatedly agreed with this assessment, approving Roundup labels without cancer warnings.

Mixed Court Results

However, Bayer has had mixed results in court. While it has won some cases, it has also faced large jury awards, including a $2.1 billion verdict in Georgia in 2025. The company has even threatened to stop selling Roundup in the U.S. if it continues to face these lawsuits.

Previous Supreme Court Involvement

This is not the first time Bayer has asked the Supreme Court to intervene. In 2022, the Court refused to hear the case, but since then, one federal appeals court has sided with Bayer, creating a split in opinions among different courts.