August 2018

In response to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO) report in 2015 that deemed glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic", the state of California quickly responded by issuing a notice of intent to place glyphosate on its Proposition 65 list. This list, for reference, is a list of chemicals that are "known" to cause cancer…

The legal landscape for Bayer has changed markedly in 2018, particularly since it has effectively inherited Monsanto's legal issues since acquiring the company in 2018. In particular, Bayer inherited what is now approximately 8,000 lawsuits arguing that Roundup causes cancer because it contains the glyphosate herbicide. This herbicide was deemed a likely carcinogen by the World Health Organization in 2015, and…

After the landmark $289 million verdict by a San Francisco jury that awarded significant damages to a California groundskeeper arguing his cancer was caused by long-term use of Roundup weedkiller, much of the public health attention concerning glyphosate has been focused on the herbicide's presence in Roundup. And, indeed, the overwhelming majority of lawsuits arguing that glyphosate causes cancer do involve…

In early August, a San Francisco jury made the first decision among what are now thousands of Roundup lawsuits, choosing to award a former California groundskeeper $289 million in his lawsuit against Monsanto's Roundup. Mr. Johnson and thousands of others argue that Roundup causes cancer, and much of the attention in recent weeks has shifted toward the science concerning glyphosate (the herbicide…

When a San Francisco jury delivered a $289 million verdict against Monsanto based on the plaintiff's assertion that Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, the decision came as welcome news for the thousands of cases that had already been filed in state and federal courts. These lawsuits made similar claims against Monsanto's Roundup product, which Monsanto has continued to deny. Now,…