Bayer Bets on ‘Silver Bullet’ Defense in Roundup Litigation; Experts See Hurdles
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Reuters is reporting that Bayer AG plans to argue that a $2 billion jury award and thousands of U.S. lawsuits claiming its glyphosate-based weed killer Roundup causes cancer should be tossed because a U.S. regulatory “agency said the herbicide is not a public health risk.
“Some legal experts believe Bayer will have a tough time convincing appellate courts to throw out verdicts and lawsuits on those grounds,” writes Reuters’ Tina Bellon. “Bayer has a better shot if a business-friendly U.S. Supreme Court takes up the case, experts said. But that could take years.”
Bayer acquired Monsanto, the manufacturer of Roundup, last year, and the litigation involving 13,400 plaintiffs went along with the deal. The plaintiffs allege the product causes cancer. So far, three consecutive U.S. juries have found the product to be carcinogenic, resulting in verdicts amounting to billions of dollars.