Bayer announced that it had reached an agreement with plaintiffs’ lawyers to delay a Roundup cancer trial in Missouri to provide time for negotiations to settle the litigation.
The fourth jury trial in the Roundup litigation was scheduled to begin in St. Louis on January 24, but instead, lawyers agreed to postpone it.
The trial would have been the first multi-plaintiff trial over the carcinogenic risks of glyphosate, the weed-killing chemical in Roundup. It also would have been the first trial outside of California.
The last three trials have ended in juries agreeing that Monsanto failed to warn cancer victims about the health risks of Roundup and awarding millions of dollars in compensation and punitive damages.
Monsanto, the St. Louis-based manufacturer of Roundup, was acquired by Bayer in a $63 billion deal in 2018.
Bayer issued a statement regarding the settlement talks, saying they are continuing the mediation process. “There is no comprehensive agreement at this time. There also is no certainty or timetable for a comprehensive resolution.”
Ken Feinberg, a court-appointed mediator who leads the settlement discussions, estimates that 75,000 people have filed legal claims in the Roundup cancer litigation.
Source: Bayer Roundup cancer trial postponed to continue settlement talks