Bayer’s Roundup Lawsuit Payouts Result in Another $1.37B in Reserves

After previously paying more than $10 billion to resolve claims that the controversial weed killer caused non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the manufacturer indicates that it recently settled another 60,000 Roundup lawsuits.

The pharmaceutical and agricultural giant Bayer indicates that it is setting aside another $1.37 billion to cover payouts and litigation costs associated with Roundup lawsuits, as part of a continuing effort to resolve tens of thousands of claims brought over the past decade by former users of the weed killer who developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and other cancers.

In a July 31 press release outlining its 2025 sales and earnings guidance, Bayer reported that it hopes to “significantly contain” Roundup litigation by the end of 2026. The statement comes ahead of the company’s second-quarter earnings report, expected this Wednesday.

According to the statement, Bayer has faced 191,000 product liability lawsuits involving claims that it and its Monsanto subsidiary failed to warn consumers about the cancer risks of Roundup exposure, particularly non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The manufacturers have been hit with a number of massive jury verdicts in recent years, and have already paid more than $10 billion in Roundup settlements. However, many of the plaintiffs have rejected offers and are still awaiting their day in court.

Bayer’s $1.37 billion litigation reserve follows a recent settlement that it indicates will resolve another 60,000 Roundup claims, bringing the total number of Roundup cases settled or otherwise resolved to approximately 131,000. However, about 60,000 claims remain pending, and the company continues to face new lawsuits as individuals who used Roundup in farming or landscaping are diagnosed with cancer.

The litigation began in March 2015, after the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, as a “probable carcinogen.” By 2016, all federal Roundup lawsuits were centralized in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) before U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in the Northern District of California.

Judge Chhabria initiated a series of early bellwether trials to test how juries would respond to key scientific and liability issues. Bayer has since suffered several substantial losses at both the state and federal level.

Bayer Pursues Roundup Lawsuit Immunity

Facing ongoing losses in court, Bayer has shifted its defense strategy toward settling cases and pushing for legal immunity from future Roundup cancer claims. The company is pursuing relief through both the U.S. Supreme Court and state legislatures, arguing that federal pesticide labeling laws should preempt failure-to-warn claims under state law.

Earlier this year, Bayer filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to review a Missouri jury verdict from October 2023, which awarded $1.25 million to John Durnell, who developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after using Roundup. The petition asserts that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) approval of Roundup’s label should block state-level warnings. It marks Bayer’s third attempt to get the high court to take up the issue, efforts the Court has repeatedly declined.

While federal appeals have stalled, Bayer has seen more success at the state level, where some legislatures have passed bills shielding the company from certain liability claims. In addition, a 2026 appropriations bill in the U.S. House includes provisions that could strengthen Bayer’s argument that federal law preempts state failure-to-warn lawsuits.

If these legislative efforts fail, reports suggest Bayer may consider placing its Monsanto unit into bankruptcy to limit legal exposure, despite having billions of dollars available to resolve claims.

To curb future liability, Bayer announced in 2021 that it would remove glyphosate from consumer versions of Roundup. However, if the company fails to secure immunity at the federal or state level, it is expected to face thousands of additional lawsuits in the years ahead, as former users of earlier glyphosate-based Roundup formulations are diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.