Part of the Money Will Be Set Aside to Resolve Future Cancer Claims
Bayer announced in June that it will pay more than $10 billion in a Roundup settlement to cancer victims or their estates. The money will settle thousands of lawsuits that allege the well-known Roundup weed killer caused non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and other cancers.
The Roundup herbicide was first sold by Monsanto in 1974. Since then it has been used worldwide to kill weeds and other unwanted plants. Workers on farms and golf courses, gardeners, groundskeepers, property owners and others who used the product regularly may have suffered potentially deadly exposure.
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup that is linked to cancer. Even though Monsanto denied that its product causes cancer in people, the World Health Organization’s cancer research agency concluded in 2015 that glyphosate is probably a human carcinogen.
Bayer bought Monsanto in 2018 and inherited the Roundup lawsuits. In its announcement, Bayer noted that its settlement with cancer sufferers does not mean that the company admits liability or wrongdoing. And, unfortunately, Roundup has not been removed from store shelves.
Roundup $10 Billion Settlement Does Not Cover All Lawsuits
The Roundup $10 billion settlement includes up to $9.6 billion to cover the majority of current lawsuits and sets aside $1.25 billion for future claims. It does not include three Roundup lawsuits that have already gone to trial. Monsanto lost all three of these cases when juries sided with the cancer victims. Juries found that Roundup did cause non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and awarded landmark awards in each case. The majority of the awards in all three cases were for punitive damages. Punitive damages are damages that were intended to punish Monsanto for its extreme negligence in selling the Roundup product.
School Groundskeeper Awarded $289 Million
In the first decision against Monsanto, which came in August 2018, a jury awarded a precedent-setting $289 million to Dewayne Lee Johnson. Johnson was a school groundskeeper in the San Francisco Bay area who sprayed Roundup in his job. In one instance the sprayer broke and he was drenched in the chemical. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2014. In an appeal by Monsanto, the judge upheld the verdict but reduced the award amount to $78.5 million.
Property Owner Awarded $80 Million
Last year, another California jury awarded $80 million in damages to Edwin Hardeman. The 70-year-old man had used Roundup for more than 20 years to kill poison oak and weeds on his property. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2015. The jury said Monsanto was liable because it didn’t include a warning on Roundup labels about the cancer risk. The original award amount in this case was also reduced on appeal, but the verdict was upheld.
Married Couple Awarded Over $2 Billion
In the last of the three rulings against Monsanto and Roundup, a California jury awarded more than $2 billion to Alva and Alberta Pilliod. The husband and wife both contracted non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after using Roundup since the 1970s. That amount was reduced on appeal to approximately $87 million.
In all three cases, the company is continuing its appeals as it seeks to avoid responsibility for its hazardous product.
What You Might Be Able to Get in a Roundup Cancer Settlement
If you used Roundup regularly and have been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma or another cancer, you might be eligible for a Roundup cancer settlement. Some studies have also linked the use of Roundup to liver cancer, breast cancer, multiple myeloma, brain cancer, leukemia and other types of lymphoma.
A study from the University of Washington released in 2019 found that exposure to Roundup’s main ingredient glyphosate increased the risk of some cancers by up to 40%. It also said that the link to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was even stronger than previously thought.
Compensation that you might be able to get in a Roundup settlement includes:
- Costs of medical bills including doctors, hospitals, drugs and other expenses
- Pain and suffering for physical pain and mental anguish
- Reimbursement for time missed at work because of your illness
- Punitive damages to punish the negligent company.
People who believe they lost family members to cancer caused by Roundup may be able to bring wrongful death lawsuits. Damages in wrongful death lawsuits include loss of companionship, lost financial support and other things.
A Pennsylvania personal injury attorney especially one with expertise as a product liability lawyer who specializes in taking on big corporations in product liability cases, can advise you on whether you might have a case and the steps for filing a lawsuit.
See Your Doctor If You Have Symptoms of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
A cancer diagnosis is frightening. But if you have used Roundup and have the following symptoms, and especially a combination of these symptoms, it’s important to see a doctor. Having these symptoms doesn’t mean you have cancer, because they can also be signs of other things. But the sooner you find out, the better for your health and well-being.
Symptoms of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma can include:
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Swollen stomach
- Pain in the abdomen
- Headaches
- Weight loss
- Chronic tiredness
- A hard time moving
- Anemia
- Frequent infections
- Skin rashes
- Fever
- Night sweats or chills
- Cough or shortness of breath
- Chest pain or pressure
- Feeling of fullness even if you have barely eaten anything
- Loss of appetite.
While Roundup’s maker continues to deny that its product causes cancer, evidence is pointing otherwise. When you are suffering from an illness that was caused by a defective and deadly product, you have every right to hold Bayer accountable.
Contact Us for Answers to Your Roundup Settlement Questions
Our Pennsylvania attorneys are committed to helping people who have become ill because of dangerous products. If you have been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma or another cancer and used Roundup as part of your job or in your personal life, the experienced lawyers at Rieders, Travis, Dohrmann, Mowrey, Humphrey & Waters may be able to help you get fair compensation. Don’t wait. Contact our law firm today at (570) 323-8711 to schedule a free consultation. You don’t pay anything unless we recover compensation for you.
