Bayer and Monsanto are currently facing about 54,000 lawsuits filed by consumers who were exposed to the weedkiller Roundup (glyphosate), according to recent court documents.
These lawsuits were filed by home gardeners and professional groundskeepers, gardeners, or landscapers who were exposed to Roundup and diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma or other illnesses.
Individuals who were exposed to Roundup or other weed killers containing the herbicide glyphosate and later diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma may also be eligible to file a lawsuit and receive compensation for their illness.
Roundup Linked to Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Roundup is a weed killer (or herbicide) developed by the Monsanto Company in the 1970s. Roundup eventually became the most widely-used herbicide and weed killer in the entire world, commonly used both by plant-care professionals and home gardeners.
Monsanto eventually began marketing a line of genetically-modified “Roundup ready” seeds that were designed to be resistant to the effects of glyphosate.
In 2015, a study by the World Health Organization (WHO) found that Roundup and other glyphosate weedkillers were “probably carcinogenic” to humans.
Another study published in 2019 found that users who were exposed to Roundup or glyphosate were 41% more likely to be diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) is a form of cancer that effects the lymphatic system, the group of organs, tissues, and vessels that helps protect the body from infection. Patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma develop tumors in their lymphocytes, a type of white blood cells.
Roundup Lawsuits Filed Against Monsanto, Bayer
This evidence linking Roundup to an increased risk of lymphoma or other cancers prompted thousands of lawsuits to be filed against Monsanto and Bayer, which purchased Monsanto in 2016. The lawsuits alleged that Monsanto knew about the cancer risks associated with Roundup for decades, but failed to warn consumers about the risks they faced from using this product.
Many of the Roundup lawsuits against Monsanto and Bayer were filed by farmers, farm workers, professional gardeners, golf course greenskeepers, landscaping professionals, or private homeowners who were exposed to glyphosate while caring for their plants or lawns.
The first Roundup lawsuits to go to trial was filed by a retired groundskeeper in California who alleged that he developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after being regularly exposed to Roundup on the job. The jury in that case eventually awarded the groundskeeper $78 million in damages after it unanimously agreed that Roundup caused his lymphoma diagnosis.
Following this verdict, Bayer and Monsanto have been ordered to pay about $11 billion in combined damages to individuals who were diagnosed with lymphoma or other cancers after being exposed to Roundup or glyphosate.
Roundup Users With Lymphoma May Qualify to File a Lawsuit
More than 100,000 Roundup lawsuits in total have been filed against Bayer and Monsanto. The companies estimate that they are currently facing about 54,000 remaining lawsuits involving Roundup and cancer, including about 49,000 federal lawsuits and 5,000 claims that are part of a class action lawsuit in California.
Individuals who used Roundup or other weed killers containing the herbicide glyphosate and were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma may be eligible to join the Roundup litigation and receive a settlement for their illness.
The first step in taking legal action is to contact an experienced product liability attorney, who can users who were exposed to Roundup determine whether they qualify to file a claim and help them gather all of the relevant evidence to help prove their claim in court.
