Pesticides maker Bayer slammed $2bn settlement in cancer case

• Published On: 23 March 2025 at 19:55

A jury in Georgia has ordered Bayer to pay approximately $2.1 billion to a plaintiff who claimed that the company's Roundup weed killer caused his cancer, according to statements released late Friday by the plaintiff's lawyers.

Bayer announced on Saturday that it plans to appeal the verdict. This is among the most significant damages awarded in a Roundup-related lawsuit.

It is another significant legal setback for Bayer, one of the world's largest seed and pesticide producers.

Bayer has paid about $10 billion to settle numerous lawsuits alleging that Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, causes cancer.

Despite these settlements, more than 60,000 cases are still pending.

Bayer, the German pharmaceutical and biotechnology giant, acquired Roundup in 2018 as part of its $63 billion acquisition of Monsanto, a US agrochemical company.

A jury in a recent Georgia case awarded $65 million in compensatory damages and $2 billion in punitive damages, according to a statement from the plaintiffs' law firms, Arnold & Itkin LLP and Kline & Spectre PC.

Bayer said in a statement that it disagreed with the jury's decision, claiming that it contradicted the overwhelming body of scientific evidence as well as the consensus of regulatory authorities and their scientific evaluations around the world.

"We believe that we have strong arguments on appeal to get this verdict overturned and the excessive and unconstitutional damage awards eliminated or reduced," according to the ruling.

Bayer observed that in cases where final judgements were obtained, damages were reduced by 90% on average compared to the original jury awards.