- Opt out period runs through June 4; fairness hearing scheduled for July 9
- Monsanto remains confident that long term, well-funded claims program will draw strong participation and court approval
- Lawsuits brought by settlement class members in Missouri are stayed, except for opt outs
ST. LOUIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, a judge in the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, Missouri granted preliminary approval of a class action settlement to resolve current and potential future Roundup claims alleging non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) injuries. The motion was filed by leading plaintiff law firms representing the class.
“We are pleased the Court granted preliminary approval of the class settlement, which is designed to resolve current and potential future Roundup claims relating to NHL,” said Bill Dodero, Senior Vice President & General Counsel of Bayer. “This is the first major step in putting this settlement into effect, and we remain confident that the long-term and well-financed class settlement plan, which is supported by leading plaintiffs’ law firms, warrants final approval by the court.”
Following preliminary approval, the next step in the legal process involves notice to potential class members and a 90-day period, ending on June 4, during which members of the class can opt out or file objections. Once this next phase is complete, the court will hold a fairness hearing on July 9 and decide whether to grant final approval of the settlement, which will be subject to potential appeals. All lawsuits in Missouri brought by class settlement members are stayed, except for opt outs, until the Court reaches a final judgement on the class settlement.
The class settlement follows a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to grant review of the Durnell case. The expectation of Supreme Court review of the cross-cutting question in this litigation – whether state claims based on failure-to-warn theories are preempted by federal law – helped make this settlement possible. The Supreme Court case is unaffected by the settlement and is critical to resolving substantial outstanding damage awards subject to pending appeals, which are not covered by the settlement. The Supreme Court case is also critical to resolving the regulatory uncertainty which jeopardizes the availability of current and future agricultural innovations, with potentially severe consequences for farmers and the American food system.
“The proposed class, combined with Supreme Court review in Durnell, are independently necessary and mutually reinforcing steps in the Company’s multipronged strategy to significantly contain the Roundup™ litigation,” Dodero continued.
About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. In line with its mission, “Health for all, Hunger for none,” the company’s products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2024, the Group employed around 93,000 people and had sales of 46.6 billion euros. R&D expenses amounted to 6.2 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.
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