Supreme Court overturns $28 million Roundup verdict, limiting state warning claims
The U.S. Supreme Court nullified a $28 million judgment against Monsanto over Roundup, effectively ending future state-law failure-to-warn suits.
In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court struck down a $28 million judgment against agricultural biotech firm Monsanto, acquired by Bayer, in a California product-liability case. Plaintiff Mike Dennis claimed Roundup exposure caused mycosis fungoides and that the company failed to warn of cancer risks, leading a jury to award $332 million, later reduced to $21 million in punitive damages. The Court held that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act preempts state-law claims because EPA-approved labels do not require cancer warnings.
The ruling mirrors a 2023 Missouri case involving John Durnell, where the Court also found federal law preempted state warnings. Justices John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett joined the majority opinion written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh; Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Neil Gorsuch dissented. The decision vacated the California appellate court’s affirmation and remanded the case for further review, potentially limiting future lawsuits over Roundup’s safety.
Why it matters
The ruling limits state lawsuits against Roundup, shaping liability for pesticide makers and affecting consumer safety claims.
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