Roundup, a popular herbicide manufactured by Bayer, has been at the center of a series of cases in which consumers allege the product caused their cancer. Litigation is currently pending in St. Louis, but the last scheduled trial regarding the product has been delayed until 2019 at the request of both parties, indicating that they may be able to reach a settlement without the court’s intervention. The parties will work with the court to set up a new date for the next trial, if necessary.
About the Lawsuits
There have been more than 18,000 claims that Roundup causes cancer. Bayer denies these allegations. There were previously two postponements of the cases in August. The current delay is believed by legal analysts to be an indication that the parties may settle the cases before the next trial would be scheduled.
History of Roundup Litigation
Bayer has already lost three cases over claims that Roundup causes cancer. The company has appealed all of the cases, insisting that the product is safe.
California listed the product as a carcinogen in 2017.
Major investors of Bayer are urging the company to consider a settlement.
Possible Settlement
Legal analysts estimate that the Roundup cases could cost between $2.5 billion to $20 billion to settle, with $9 billion being a potential settlement value. However, settlements may not accomplish everything that Bayer’s investors want, such as splitting the company’s pharmaceutical and crop science businesses. Bayer’s viability to remain in business is affected by the ever-growing number of Roundup cases. This also puts in question whether the company should have bought Monsanto, which the company purchased for $63 billion in 2018. The lawsuits have caused Bayer to lose more than $30 billion in market value since the company’s shares in the U.S. have dropped nearly a third since acquiring Monsanto.
Help with Product Liability Cases
If you are injured by a defective product, you may be able to pursue a products liability claim to pursue compensation for the damages that they have sustained. There may be many reasons why products are defective. Some are defectively manufactured. There is some problem that occurs during the manufacturing process, causing some batches of products to be defective. Others are inherently dangerous based on the way that they are designed. Others contain insufficient warnings about known consequences of using the product.
If you live in Texas and believe that you were harmed by Roundup or another defective product, contact an experienced products liability lawyer.
