Man Awarded $2.1 Billion in One of the Largest Roundup Lawsuit Verdicts Ever
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In one of the largest Roundup lawsuit verdicts to date, Monsanto has been ordered to pay nearly $2.1 billion in damages to a man who claims he developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma after using the popular weed killer for 20 years.
The verdict, which was awarded by a jury in Georgia state court on Friday, is a notable win for plaintiffs and a major blow to Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018.
The company said that it plans to appeal the ruling, which awarded $65 million in compensatory damages and $2 billion in punitive damages to John Barnes. According to the law firm representing Barnes, it is the largest single-plaintiff injury verdict in Georgia history.
“We disagree with the jury’s verdict, as it conflicts with the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence and the consensus of regulatory bodies and their scientific assessments worldwide,” Bayer said in a statement. “We believe that we have strong arguments on appeal to get this verdict overturned and the excessive and unconstitutional damage awards eliminated or reduced.”
Bayer previously sought to reduce a verdict in a similar case decided in January 2024, where a jury awarded $2.25 billion to a plaintiff who developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The company was successful in that attempt, with the payout later being lowered by a judge to $400 million.
The company agreed to a $10 billion settlement in 2020 meant to bring an end to about 75% of active lawsuits at the time, but it did not cover all cases and new lawsuits continued to be filed. Over 4,400 cases remain pending in federal court and state trials continue.
Roundup Trials Remain Unpredictable as Bayer Focuses on Exit Strategies
Bayer says that it has received favorable outcomes in 17 of the 25 most recent Roundup lawsuits to go to trial. However, they’ve achieved just one defense verdict among the four latest cases in what has, at times, been an unpredictable litigation.
The last six months of trials have included two defense verdicts, two wins for plaintiffs and a mistrial.
With plaintiffs regularly recording big wins and thousands of cases still pending in both federal and state court, Bayer is pursuing multiple avenues in an attempt to end or limit the litigation.
The company has previously said that it hopes to get a Roundup case before the Supreme Court. In November, Bayer said that it planned for that case to be decided during the 2025–26 session.
Bayer is also attempting to limit its liability in individual states, urging the passage of laws that would shield pesticide companies from the types of claims often made in Roundup lawsuits. According to the Associated Press, legislation to accomplish this is pending in at least eight states.
Last month, the Iowa Senate advanced a bill originally proposed by Bayer to limit pesticide lawsuits. Georgia, the state where the new $2.1 billion verdict was awarded, passed a similar law just last week that now awaits the Governor’s signature.
Still, thousands of active lawsuits continue to work their way through the legal process.
Roundup Lawsuits Claim Popular Weed Killer Connected to Cancer
The thousands of Roundup lawsuits that have been filed involve claims that Monsanto failed to warn of the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in connection with the use of its product.
These claims involve glyphosate, which was the active ingredient in Roundup. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans” in 2015.
Additionally, a 2019 study found that the risk of cancer increases by more than 40% for those exposed to glyphosate.
While Monsanto and Bayer have pushed back on these claims, plaintiffs have seen notable successes in court as the litigation progressed.
According to Bayer’s annual report, the company set aside $5.9 billion for the litigation.