Bayer Loses $611 Million Lawsuit Over Roundup Cancer Claims

In a significant legal setback for Bayer, the Missouri Supreme Court has refused to review the company's final appeal in a lawsuit over its popular weedkiller, Roundup. This decision leaves Bayer liable for $611 million in damages stemming from claims that Roundup caused cancer in three plaintiffs.

The legal battle began in 2022 when Daniel Anderson, Dimmy Traeger, and Valorie Gunther filed separate lawsuits against Bayer, alleging that Roundup's active ingredient, glyphosate, was responsible for their non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnoses. The cases were later consolidated in Cole County, Missouri, where a jury initially awarded the plaintiffs a staggering $1.56 billion in damages.

Though Bayer appealed the ruling, the Cole County Circuit Court upheld the verdict, though it significantly reduced the damages to $611 million. This decision was later affirmed by a higher court, and now the Missouri Supreme Court has refused to review the case, leaving Bayer liable for the reduced but still substantial award.

The Roundup litigation has been a major headache for Bayer, which has already spent billions to settle nearly 100,000 similar lawsuits. This latest loss brings the company's total payout closer to $12 billion as it continues to grapple with the fallout from the cancer claims surrounding its popular weedkiller.