Bayer seeks court approval for $7.25 billion Roundup settlement in Missouri

Bayer, through its Monsanto subsidiary, is scheduled to appear before Missouri Circuit Court Judge Timothy Boyer in St. Louis to seek final court endorsement of a $7.25 billion settlement intended to end thousands of U.S. lawsuits alleging that the Roundup herbicide causes cancer. The judge will evaluate the settlement's provisions and consider challenges raised by certain plaintiffs' attorneys who contend the agreement forces claimants into a restrictive framework.

Bayer first disclosed the plan in February, stating it would address both current and future claims of non-Hodgkin lymphoma linked to Roundup exposure. Approximately 65,000 lawsuits are pending in state and federal courts, with individual awards set between $10,000 and $165,000 depending on disease severity, age at diagnosis, and exposure circumstances. While Bayer maintains the deal is fair and supported by many class counsel, detractors say it falls short financially and bars future trials.

The hearing follows an August ruling by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals that rejected a bid to move the decision to federal court, and a June Supreme Court ruling that preempts state-law failure-to-warn claims under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. The EPA continues to assert glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer, pending a new risk assessment due later in 2026.