Wisner Baum’s attorneys are no longer accepting new Roundup cases, but our firm played a leading role in some of the most significant Monsanto/Bayer litigation outcomes to date — helping to negotiate over $11 billion in settlements and securing multi‑billion‑dollar jury verdicts on behalf of clients.
Roundup is a widely used herbicide whose active ingredient is glyphosate. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) — part of the World Health Organization — classifies glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen. Thousands of people across the U.S. have alleged that long‑term exposure to glyphosate (in Roundup and similar products) caused them to develop non‑Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and other serious illnesses.
Reach out to our attorneys today for more information.
Here is a summary of the Roundup lawsuits, which are ongoing:
Roundup cancer lawsuits have been filed for plaintiffs who developed:
Scientists have been able to correlate a number of health issues related to glyphosate exposure, including, but not limited to:
ADHD: The journal Environmental Health Perspectives reported in 2002 that exposure to Roundup [glyphosate herbicide] was linked to attention deficit disorder (ADHD), likely due to the herbicide’s capacity to disrupt thyroid hormone functions.
Alzheimer’s Disease: A study published in the journal Toxicology found that glyphosate exposure can cause the same kind of oxidative stress and neural cell death found in Alzheimer’s diagnosis. It also affects CaMKII, an enzyme whose dysregulation has also been linked to Alzheimer’s.
Autism: A research scientist at MIT says exposure to glyphosate has a number of biological effects that align with known pathologies associated with autism. One of the parallels is gut dysbiosis among children with autism and glyphosate’s suppression of pathogenic bacteria. Glyphosate also promotes the accumulation of aluminum in the brain. Aluminum is a neurotoxin and the established cause of dialysis dementia.
Birth Defects: Glyphosate exposure can disrupt the Vitamin A signaling pathway, which is critical for normal fetal development. A study from Paraguay found that babies born to women living less than a mile from fields sprayed with glyphosate herbicide were more than twice as likely to develop birth defects.
Cancer: The International Agency of Research on Cancer (an agency within the World Health Organization) published a study in 2015 that determined glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen. There is also a meta-analysis study from 2014 published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health and a 2008 Swedish study that link glyphosate and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Other studies, including a study in Argentina of 65,000 people in farming communities where Roundup is used (communities referred to as “the fumigated towns”), found cancer rates to be two to four times higher than the country’s national average.
Specifically, the study noted increases in breast, prostate and lung cancers. In a comparison of two farming communities—one that sprayed Roundup and another that didn’t—31 percent of residents in the Roundup sprayed community had a family member with cancer. In the community that didn’t spray, only three percent of residents had a family member with cancer.
Celiac Disease: A study of fish exposed to glyphosate herbicide showed that some developed digestive problems similar to those with Celiac Disease. Parallels between glyphosate exposure and Celiac Disease include impairment in enzymes critical to detoxifying environmental toxins, imbalances in gut bacteria, amino acid depletion and certain mineral deficiencies.
Colitis: A Roundup study titled ‘The Effect of Glyphosate on Potential Pathogens and Beneficial Members of Poultry Microbiota in Vitro’ found that glyphosate toxicity could be a significant predisposing factor in the overgrowth of clostridia, an established causal factor in colitis.
Heart Disease: A study published in Entropy found that glyphosate exposure can cause disruption to the body’s enzymes, causing lysosomal dysfunction, which is a factor in heart failure and cardiovascular disease.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease: In the same Entropy study, researchers found that exposure to glyphosate creates a severe tryptophan deficiency in some, which can cause inflammatory bowel disease.
Kidney Disease: Glyphosate herbicide exposure may explain the recent spike in kidney disease statistics among farm workers in India, Central America and Sri Lanka. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: “Although glyphosate alone does not cause an epidemic of chronic kidney disease, it seems to have acquired the ability to destroy the renal tissues of thousands of farmers.”
Liver Disease: A 2009 study showed that very low doses of glyphosate can disrupt liver cell function.
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: A paper analyzing nearly 30 years of research on the relationship between Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) and occupational exposure to pesticides found a positive association between glyphosate herbicide exposure and B cell lymphoma.
Parkinson’s Disease: Several lab studies show that glyphosate can induce the cell death characteristic of Parkinson’s.
Since the $10.9 billion Roundup settlement in 2020, there have not been any additional reported settlements between plaintiffs and Bayer, though that could change. Trials in the Roundup litigation are ongoing. Other recent verdicts and settlements include:
See full year‑by‑year roundup in section below.
Since 2018, there have been over two dozen Roundup trials. The majority of cases culminated in wins for Bayer/Monsanto. However, plaintiffs have prevailed in at least 10 trials with jury verdicts in the billions.
Barnes v. Monsanto Co.
Melissen v. Monsanto Co.
Young v. Monsanto Co.
Purnell v. Monsanto Co.
Kline v. Monsanto Co.
Cloud v. Monsanto Co.
Cody v. Monsanto Co.
McKivison v. Monsanto Co.
Jones v. Monsanto Co.
Martel v. Monsanto Co.
Anderson et. al v. Monsanto Co.
Dennis v. Monsanto Co.
Caranci v. Monsanto Co.
Durnell v. Monsanto Co.
McCostlin v. Monsanto Co.
Gordon v. Monsanto Co.
Alesi v. Monsanto Co.
Johnson v. Monsanto Co.
Shelton v. Monsanto Co.
Stephens v. Monsanto Co.
Clark v. Monsanto Co.
Pilliod v. Monsanto Co.
Hardeman v. Monsanto Co.
Johnson v. Monsanto Co.
The Roundup lawyers at Wisner Baum have not been involved in the Roundup litigation since the $10.9 billion settlement reached in 2020.
August 8, 2025: Bayer announced last week that it has allocated an additional $1.37 billion to address the ongoing Roundup cancer litigation. The company has already paid out over $10 billion in Roundup settlements alleging its glyphosate-based herbicide causes cancer.
In an earnings call, Bayer CEO Bill Anderson said the company will “significantly contain” glyphosate litigation by the end of next year. Anderson added that Bayer is expecting word from the Solicitor General as to whether SCOTUS will take up a Roundup case “in the coming weeks or months.” This summer, the Supreme Court asked the Solicitor General for input on the case in which a plaintiff in Missouri state court alleged his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was caused by Roundup exposure.
“This decision keeps intact the broader timeline of having a SCOTUS ruling by summer of next year,” Anderson said.
July 7, 2025: Bayer estimates that over 60,000 cases are pending in the Roundup litigation, including claims filed in state and federal courts.
June 30, 2025: The U.S. Supreme Court requested that the Solicitor General provide the federal government's views on Bayer's petition in the Durnell v. Monsanto case. This is one of the most important developments in the Roundup litigation since the $11 billion settlement in 2020.
Bayer's petition centers on whether the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) preempts state failure-to-warn claims related to Roundup. The company argues that federal law should shield it from state lawsuits since the EPA approved Roundup's labeling without requiring cancer warnings.
The Supreme Court's request for the Solicitor General's input signals serious consideration of the case, which could fundamentally alter the litigation landscape. Bayer CEO Bill Anderson called this "an encouraging step," noting that a favorable ruling could largely end the Roundup litigation.
May 28, 2025: The Missouri Court of Appeals affirmed a $611 million verdict awarded to three plaintiffs who alleged Roundup caused their non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The court rejected Bayer's arguments about federal preemption and improper expert testimony, reinforcing the viability of state-law claims.
May 15, 2025: Reuters reports that Bayer is planning to settle some Roundup cases in Missouri. If unsuccessful, the company may file for bankruptcy for its Monsanto unit.
The German multinational corporation estimates it faces 67,000 cases and has set aside $5.9 billion to cover the legal costs.
May 9, 2025: The Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed a $177.3 million judgment awarded to Roundup plaintiff Ernest Caranci and his wife. The three-judge panel rejected all of Monsanto's grounds for appeal, including claims that the verdict was excessive. Most notably, the court rejected Monsanto's argument that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) preempted state-law failure to warn claims.
The original verdict came in 2023 after Caranci developed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma following years of Roundup use. The case (Caranci v. Monsanto) included claims of negligence, strict liability for defective design, and failure to warn.
More than 4,400 Roundup lawsuits are pending in the federal MDL. State court litigation continues to drive the overall Roundup litigation landscape, with recent plaintiff verdicts maintaining pressure on Bayer to resolve remaining claims.
Roundup lawyers note that while Bayer has won numerous defense verdicts, the string of significant plaintiff victories like the Caranci case and the massive Georgia verdict a couple of months ago demonstrate the multinational corporation remains vulnerable to court losses as the litigation drags on.
April 30, 2025: Bayer has renewed its efforts to seek Supreme Court review in the Roundup litigation, arguing that federal law preempts state failure-to-warn claims because the EPA doesn't require a cancer warning label. The Supreme Court previously rejected similar arguments, and legal observers note that the chances of the Court intervening now are slim.
On the legislative front, North Dakota introduced House Bill 1318, which opponents describe as a dangerous, sweeping immunity bill that would block lawsuits brought by individuals alleging harm from pesticides and herbicides. We believe this bill prioritizes corporate interests over public health and consumer protection by preventing people from bringing a case to court when corporations make products that cause harm.
As for upcoming Roundup trials, there are a couple scheduled in May in St. Louis and another multi-plaintiff case scheduled to begin in June in Chicago.
March 24, 2025: A Georgia jury delivered a massive blow to Bayer, ordering the company to pay over $2 billion in damages to John Barnes. Mr. Barnes alleged in his lawsuit that he developed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after using Roundup.
The jury awarded him $65 million in compensatory damages and $2 billion in punitive damages.
Bayer continues to dispute claims that Roundup causes cancer and has announced plans to appeal the verdict. Despite numerous jury verdicts and its setting aside some $16 billion to settle cases, Bayer continues to “stand fully behind the safety” of its glyphosate-based herbicides.
February 12, 2025: The Roundup MDL before Judge Vince Chhabria in Northern California now has 4,414 pending cases. While new cases continue to be filed in the MDL, there continues to be a notable shift toward state court filings where Roundup cancer attorneys have earned several significant verdicts since 2023.
January 4, 2025: Monsanto appealed a $175 million jury verdict in favor of plaintiff Ernest Caranci. The company challenged several aspects of the 2023 trial, including jury instructions and evidentiary rulings, and cited the Third Circuit's Schaffner decision regarding preemption of failure-to-warn claims.
December 3, 2024: Only 18 cases were added to the Monsanto Roundup MDL last month, bringing the case total to 4,373.
November 1, 2024: There are still thousands of Roundup cases in the MDL. As of today, 4,355 federal cases are pending.
October 11, 2024: A Philadelphia jury has ordered Bayer to pay $78 million to a Pennsylvania resident who developed cancer after using the company's controversial Roundup herbicide. The verdict, including $3 million in compensatory damages and $75 million in punitive damages, interrupts Bayer's recent courtroom wins in Philadelphia. While the agrochemical company had previously prevailed in 14 of 20 Roundup trials, this latest decision adds to a series of substantial verdicts against the company, including a $1.56 billion judgment from November 2023 (later reduced to $611 million) and a $2.25 billion verdict from January 2024 (subsequently reduced to $400 million).
October 1, 2024: The total number of cases in the federal Roundup MDL is now 4,349. However, most new Roundup lawsuits are filed in state courts, not the MDL.
September 28, 2024: The Third Circuit Court of Appeals refused to change its decision from last month that federal law overrides a Pennsylvania law requiring cancer warnings on chemicals.
September 16, 2024: A new Roundup trial, Melissen v. Monsanto, is underway in Philadelphia. The trial is expected to take weeks. We will report on any news once the trial concludes.
September 12, 2024: The Philadelphia jury in Young v. Monsanto found that Monsanto was not responsible for the plaintiff's cancer. Despite this setback, plaintiffs have won 3 out of 5 Roundup trials in Philadelphia with an average verdict of roughly $194 million.
September 4, 2024: A Missouri appeals court agreed with a lower court's decision in the case of Moore v. Monsanto, which went in the defense’s favor.
August 23, 2024: Bayer scored a significant win in the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. In a ruling issued last week, the court found that federal pesticide labeling regulations preempt state law. This means that EPA-approved pesticide labels, which do not include a cancer warning for Roundup, override state requirements for labeling.
The ruling stems from a Pennsylvania case that alleged Monsanto/Bayer violated state law by failing to include a cancer warning on the Roundup label. But the 3rd Circuit ruled that federal law for pesticide regulations requires nationwide uniformity.
This decision conflicts with another Appeals Court decision from earlier this year, which found federal law did not preempt state law. Reuters reports that the conflict could lead to the Supreme Court weighing in.
August 16, 2024: 4,311 Roundup lawsuit cases are still open in the MDL.
In other Roundup news, the plaintiff in an Oregon case won a critical appeal last month and will get a new trial. The appellant court reversed a judgment that excluded one of the plaintiff’s experts, Dr. Charles Benbrook, from testifying at trial about EPA pesticide regulations. Specifically, Dr. Benbrook was expected to testify about how EPA and IARC reached differing conclusions about the carcinogenicity of glyphosate.
According to the appellant court order, “[w]e conclude that the trial court erred in excluding certain testimony of Dr. Benbrook and that that error was not harmless.”
July 22, 2024: Bayer is lobbying Congress to protect the company from Roundup cancer lawsuits. The new 2024 farm bill, approved by the House Agriculture Committee, contains wording that would shield Bayer from future litigation and limit states from adding pesticide warning labels. Some call this bill a "get out of jail free" card for Bayer, which has lost several court cases this year. According to a report from the Washington Post, Bayer provided input in drafting the proposed legislation.
July 5, 2024: The plaintiff in a Roundup trial scheduled to begin next week in Philadelphia has voluntarily dismissed the case. The case was filed by a plaintiff whose father died of cancer allegedly caused by Roundup exposure. The trial judge dismissed all but one count alleged in the case, finding that the plaintiff had missed the statute of limitations. With only one viable count, the plaintiff voluntarily dismissed the case but may appeal.
June 5, 2024: A Pennsylvania judge reduced the jury verdict from a Roundup trial earlier this year to $400 million. In January, a jury found that Roundup weed killer caused plaintiff John McKivison’s non-Hodgkins lymphoma and awarded him $250 million in compensatory damages and $2 billion in punitive damages. However, Judge Susan Schulman reduced the compensatory damages to $50 million and punitive damages to $350 million. Bayer says it will continue to appeal the case.
June 3, 2024: Only a handful of cases were added to the Roundup MDL since last month, bringing the total cases to 4,285.
April 8, 2024: The Missouri judge overseeing a Roundup case that culminated in a $1.56 billion jury verdict has reduced the verdict to $611 million. The reduced damages award is for three plaintiffs who alleged exposure to Roundup weed killer caused their cancer.
In November of 2023, a jury in Cole County, Missouri, found Bayer's Monsanto unit liable for negligence and design defects, as well as failing to warn about Roundup's risks. The three plaintiffs, Valorie Gunther, Jimmy Draeger, and Daniel Anderson were awarded $61.1 million in compensatory damages and $1.5 billion in punitive damages, which were to be split equally among them. However, Judge Daniel Green decided to reduce the punitive damages to nine times the amount of compensatory damages ($549.9 million), resulting in a total verdict of $611 million.
Bayer, which sought to toss the verdict, said it will appeal Judge Green’s ruling.
April 2, 2024: Since the start of 2024, there have been over 100 cases added to the Roundup MDL, bringing the case total to 4,281. Bayer estimates that there remain roughly 54,000 pending Roundup cancer claims in various courts throughout the country.
January 26, 2024: A jury in Philadelphia returned a $2.25 billion verdict today in favor of a Pennsylvania man who developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after using Roundup multiple times a year over several years. The verdict, which includes $2 billion in punitive damages and $250 million in compensatory damages, is the latest blow to Bayer, which has lost multiple jury trials over the last several months.
December 29, 2023: Last week, Bayer won at trial in a Roundup lawsuit brought by a California man who alleged he developed cancer after exposure to Roundup weed killer. The defense verdict ended a losing streak for Bayer (formerly Monsanto). Five previous Roundup trials had gone in favor of plaintiffs.
December 6, 2023: Bayer will pay approximately $3.5 million to a Pennsylvania woman after a Philadelphia jury concluded Roundup weedkiller caused her cancer. The trial, which lasted roughly three weeks, culminated in a verdict that included $462,500 in compensatory damages and $3 million in punitive damages. This is the fifth consecutive court loss for Bayer.
November 20, 2023: A Missouri jury delivered a verdict worth $1.5 billion in favor of the plaintiffs in a Roundup trial. This is the second-largest jury verdict in the Roundup litigation (our firm earned a $2.055 billion verdict in 2019). Plaintiffs Dan Anderson, James Draeger, and Valorie Gunther will receive a total of $61.1 million in damages and $500 million each in punitive damages. The plaintiffs allegedly developed NHL after using Roundup.
October 31, 2023: Another significant Roundup verdict. The jury in the case of Dennis v. Monsanto Co.returned a verdict worth over $330 million, including punitive damages. The trial took place in San Diego, California.
October 27, 2023: The jury in the case of Caranci v. Monsanto Co. delivered a $175 million verdict in favor of the plaintiff, which includes punitive damages. The case, filed on behalf of an 82-year-old man who alleged Roundup caused his NHL, was tried in Philadelphia.
October 20, 2023: A St. Louis jury returned a verdict in favor of a 67-year-old plaintiff. The jury found that Monsanto/Bayer failed to sufficiently warn about the potential risks associated with Roundup which the plaintiff alleged caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
June 15, 2023: New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that Monsanto/Bayer will pay a settlement worth nearly $7 million to the state to resolve allegations concerning misleading advertising about the safety of glyphosate weed killers like Roundup.
May 24, 2023: The case of Gordon v. Monsanto Co. culminated in a jury verdict for Bayer/Monsanto. This is the seventh straight win for the defense.
December 14, 2022: The case of Langford v. Monsanto Co. et al. (CGC-21-592238), ended in a confidential settlement before trial. Another case that was supposed to proceed to trial in Hawaii (Pied v. MonsantoCo.) has also been settled.
November 14, 2022: Bayer/Monsanto won another trial, the sixth win in a row. This case, Moore v. Monsanto Co., was tried in St. Louis County Circuit Court.
More trials are upcoming in the next few months.
September 2, 2022: A jury in St. Louis returned a verdict in Bayer’s favor in another Roundup trial. This is the fifth consecutive victory for Monsanto/Bayer.
July 4, 2022: The Ninth Circuit panel unanimously told the EPA to reconsider its conclusion that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup weedkiller, is not an “unreasonable risk to man or the environment.” The court agreed with environmental and food safety advocates that the agency did not fully consider whether Roundup causes cancer. Per the decision, “most studies EPA examined indicated that human exposure to glyphosate is associated with an at least somewhat increased risk of developing NHL,” which contradicts EPA’s conclusion that glyphosate is “not likely to cause cancer.”
June 27, 2022: The Supreme Court denied Bayer’s petition for a writ of certiorari in Pilliod et al. v. Monsanto Co. The Pilliods will retain the $87 million reduced verdict.
June 21, 2022: The Supreme Court denied Bayer’s petition for a writ of certiorari in the case of Hardeman v. Monsanto Co., allowing the final judgment of $25.2 million to remain intact.
June 11, 2022: The jury in Shelton v. Monsanto Co. returned a verdict for the defense.
June 2, 2022: Former Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant gave testimony during the trial of Shelton v. Monsanto Co. Grant said Monsanto did not conduct their own tests to evaluate whether there was a connection between Roundup and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
December 13, 2021: Bayer won another Roundup trial. The case of Stephens v. Monsanto Co., which was conducted over Zoom, culminated in a jury verdict for the defense. Per the verdict, the plaintiff’s use of Roundup was not the cause of her cancer.
November 18, 2021: Bayer won its first trial in California regarding Roundup. The case alleged a child's rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was caused by his mother's use of the herbicide in her garden. The jury determined that the child's exposure to Roundup was not a significant factor in his cancer. (2023 Update: Bayer reached a confidential Roundup settlement with the plaintiff in this case).
May 14, 2021: The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco denied Bayer’s appeal in Hardeman v. Monsanto Co.
Glyphosate (or N-phosphonomethyl-glycine) is one of the world’s most widely used broad-spectrum herbicides, accounting for roughly 25 percent of the world herbicide market. Glyphosate herbicide is widely utilized in agriculture because it is a cost-effective, easy to use compound that kills weeds, especially annual broadleaf weeds and grasses competing with crops. While it is true that glyphosate products are mostly used in agriculture, some countries also use glyphosate herbicide to control unwanted weed growth in forestry, gardening and in non-cultivated places, like industrial areas and along highways.
Glyphosate herbicide exposure is most common among farm workers and those living near farmland. Exposure to glyphosate herbicide can happen in a number of ways, including:
Roundup (glyphosate) is a Monsanto herbicide used by farmers, gardeners, maintenance workers, agricultural workers, and many others as an all-purpose weed killer. Since Roundup first entered the market in the 1970s, Monsanto has denied claims that Roundup causes cancer, insisting that Roundup is safe. A Monsanto advertisement once noted that Roundup is “safer than table salt.”
But according to internal Monsanto emails now known throughout the world as The Monsanto Papers, Monsanto has known for several decades that Roundup (glyphosate) causes cancer. Rather than informing consumers about the glyphosate cancer risk, Monsanto buried the risks as sales of Roundup continued to skyrocket.
In March of 2015, IARC surveyed the published research on Roundup cancer links and concluded the blockbuster herbicide is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” The cancer agency further concluded that the cancer most associated with exposure to glyphosate is non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Outraged by Monsanto’s deception, more than 100,000 people have made the decision to file a Roundup lawsuit alleging exposure to Roundup causes cancer.
Our firm represents thousands of people who are pursuing justice against Monsanto (now Bayer) because they do not want what happened to them or a member of their family to happen to anyone else. They want consumers to have the choice— to know the health consequences associated with using a product. If they would have known that Roundup was a carcinogen, they never would have used the product.
Yes. According to numerous studies, exposure to Roundup increases the risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Below are some of the studies demonstrating the link between Roundup exposure and NHL:
Studies show that exposure to Roundup and its active ingredient, glyphosate, can cause DNA damage and DNA strand breaks, an important precursor to cancer. IARC specifically assessed the genotoxicity of Roundup (the property of chemical agents that damages the genetic information within a cell causing mutations, which may lead to cancer) and concluded that “[t]here is strong evidence that glyphosate causes genotoxicity.”
Roundup exposure can also induce oxidative stress, which is thought to be involved in the development of numerous conditions, including cancer, autism, and Parkinson’s disease. In addition to DNA damage and oxidative stress, some scientists have suggested Roundup exposure can lead to a chronic inflammatory state in the gut, as well an impaired gut barrier, which can increase the risk of cancer.
No, the individual Roundup lawsuits over the link to non-Hodgkin lymphoma are not part of a Monsanto class action. The individual Roundup cancer lawsuits seek remedy for injuries (non-Hodgkin lymphoma) sustained as a result of being exposed to Roundup and its active ingredient, glyphosate.
Roundup class actions against Monsanto are related to allegations of false and misleading information on the Roundup label and don’t involve personal injury or wrongful death claims. According to the class actions, Monsanto continues to mislead consumers by representing glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, as targeting an enzyme that is “found in plants but not in people or pets.”
The Monsanto class actions (filed in multiple states) allege that the enzyme glyphosate targets exist in people and pets. Per the class actions:
“Glyphosate functions as a biocide by inhibiting the enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (“EPSP”) synthase, disrupting the fifth of six enzymatic steps in the shikimate pathway, which processes aromatic amino acids in certain organisms. Although humans and other mammals themselves do not have a shikimate pathway, the shikimate pathway is present in bacteria, including beneficial bacteria that inhabit the mammalian gut and are essential to overall health. EPSP is therefore “found in . . . people [and] pets. Just like it inhibits EPSP synthase in weeds, the active ingredient in Roundup inhibits EPSP synthase in these human and pet gut bacteria, and just like it targets weeds, the active ingredient in Roundup targets the human and pet gut bacteria.”
Individual lawsuits against Monsanto seek remedy for personal injuries (non-Hodgkin lymphoma) sustained as a result of exposure to Roundup. Farmers, farm workers, horticulturalists, landscapers, gardeners, government employees, and a host of other people have filed individual lawsuits against Monsanto based on allegations that Monsanto knew about the link between exposure to Roundup and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but failed to warn consumers.
The Monsanto Roundup class action, on the other hand, involves consumers who say they would never have purchased Roundup products had they known that glyphosate targets an enzyme that exists in the human body and the bodies of certain mammals, contrary to Monsanto’s marketing.
Anyone who purchased certain Roundup products and is not participating in a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit can participate in the Monsanto class action over the misbranding of Roundup. Claimants are not required to prove that they suffered personal injuries as a result of using the product, only that they purchased the product.
“Wisner Baum are not only amazing attorneys, but more importantly they are activists. They are about changing the systems which got us into trouble in the first place. They understand their role in the process of making change. Attorneys have the fortunate ability to go into the company files during the investigative process. They see the companies’ behaviors and work hard at getting confidential documents declassified that have true public health benefit(s).” — Kim Witczak.
Yes, glyphosate targets an enzyme present in beneficial gut bacteria, potentially disrupting gut health and metabolic processes, including glucose metabolism.
Studies associate glyphosate with ADHD, Alzheimer's, autism, birth defects, celiac disease, colitis, heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, kidney disease, and liver disease.
Long-term glyphosate exposure is linked to cancer risk and a range of chronic health issues, including metabolic disorders, liver and kidney disease, nervous system damage, and gut microbiome disruption.
"Wisner Baum gave exceptional attention to all aspects of the case, detailed inquiry, and tenacious overview of all the information submitted. The paralegals are efficient and diligent. I was completely surprised to find an empathic personal message to take care of my own health during the challenging time of being a full-time caretaker.*"
In May of 2019, the jury in the case of Pilliod et al. v, Monsanto Company ordered the agrochemical giant to pay $2.055 billion in damages to the plaintiffs, Alva and Alberta Pilliod, a Bay Area couple in their 70s. R. Brent Wisner served as co-lead trial attorney for the Pilliods, delivering the opening and closing statements and cross-examining several of Monsanto’s experts. Wisner Baum managing shareholder, Michael Baum and attorney Pedram Esfandiary also served on the trial team in the Pilliod case.
The judge later reduced their award to $87M. Monsanto appealed the Pilliod’s verdict which the California Court of Appeal for the First Appellate District denied on August 9, 2021. Monsanto then requested the California Supreme Court review the appeal’s court decision, which the court denied on Nov. 17, 2021. Monsanto (Bayer) then submitted a petition for a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court which SCOTUS denied on June 27, 2022, allowing the final judgment of $87M to remain intact.
$289.2 million jury verdict in Monsanto Roundup trial
Wisner Baum co-represented Dewayne “Lee” Johnson in the first Roundup cancer lawsuit to proceed to trial. On Aug. 10, 2018, a San Francisco jury ordered Monsanto to pay $39.25 million in compensatory damages and $250 million in punitive damages to Mr. Johnson, a former groundskeeper who alleged exposure to Monsanto’s herbicides caused him to develop terminal non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Months after the jury verdict, the judge overseeing the trial reduced the punitive damages to $39.25 million. Mr. Johnson decided to accept the remittitur, bringing the adjusted amount awarded to Mr. Johnson $78.5 million.
Monsanto (Bayer) appealed the verdict and Johnson cross appealed. On July 20, 2020, the First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict against Monsanto but reduced Mr. Johnson’s award to $20.5 million. The company chose not to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, ending the litigation.
In 2016, Wisner Baum attorney Timothy A. Loranger and six other attorneys in the Plaintiffs’ Management Committee were able to secure a $265 million settlement for victims of the 2015 Amtrak 188 derailment in Philadelphia, one of the largest in the U.S. for 2016.
