Appeals Court Revives Roundup Weedkiller Cancer Lawsuit
A federal appeals court on Tuesday revived a lawsuit by a Georgia man claiming Bayer AG’s Roundup weedkiller caused his cancer, the latest in a string of legal defeats for the company as it seeks to avoid potentially billions of dollars in damages.
Bayer said it disagreed with the ruling and would consider its options. It said any cancer warning would be inconsistent with the label approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“Bayer continues to stand fully behind its Roundup products,” said the company, which acquired the weedkiller line with its $63 billion purchase of Monsanto in 2018.
The German conglomerate has said that decades of studies have shown Roundup and its active ingredient, glyphosate, are safe for human use.
A lawyer for Carson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Another federal appeals court, the 9th Circuit, rejected the same argument in a California lawsuit in 2020.
Bayer had hoped that a victory in Carson’s case would create a conflict between appeals courts that would make the U.S. Supreme Court more likely to take up the issue, potentially limiting its liability in thousands of lawsuits.
The court has so far rejected the company’s petitions to hear Roundup lawsuits.
Related:
- Bayer, BASF Win New Trial on $60 Million Damage Award in Weedkiller Lawsuit
- U.S. Supreme Court Again Nixes Bayer Challenge to Weedkiller Suits