Bayer Seeks Congressional Help to Limit Future Roundup Lawsuits
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Bayer, the chemical giant behind the controversial herbicide Roundup, is seeking Congressional assistance to shield itself from future litigation alleging its product causes cancer.
The company is lobbying Congress to include language in the upcoming farm bill that would limit future lawsuits by establishing federal uniformity on pesticide labeling and preventing states from adding their own regulations.
Additionally, Bayer seeks protection from liability if their labels comply with existing Environmental Protection Agency approvals.
Earlier this year, Bayer attempted to influence state-level bills in Missouri, Idaho and Iowa by lobbying for congress to pass legislation that would deem the existing EPA labels on Roundup to be a sufficient warning for consumers. This would limit future lawsuits against the company.
The House Committee on Agriculture approved the farm bill draft recently, which was created with the help of Bayer and contained language similar to the state-level bills, according to The Washington Post.
“Some of the litigation industry folks will say, ‘Well, why don’t you just label, warn that it could cause cancer?’” Jess Christiansen, Bayer’s head of crop science and sustainability communications, told NPR.
“Because it doesn’t. And that would go against the process of how we warn.”
Roundup, once owned by Monsanto, contains glyphosate, an herbicide used to control weeds. Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2016, says its glyphosate products do not cause cancer. However, the World Health Organization lists glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen.
Bayer is facing a multitude of lawsuits claiming that Roundup caused plaintiffs to develop serious illnesses like non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Bayer Wins In Philly Court
Earlier this month, a Philadelphia judge upheld the first-ever defense verdict in a Roundup lawsuit in the city, meaning the judge ruled in favor of Roundup.
This decision is significant because it allows certain evidence used by the defense in this case to be used in future Roundup trials in Philadelphia.
Judge Ann Butchart rejected the plaintiffs’ challenges regarding key evidence, potentially establishing a new defense strategy for the company in upcoming lawsuits.
This victory for the Roundup manufacturer follows three plaintiff verdicts in Philadelphia, which resulted in substantial payouts totaling $3.75 billion. They claim the company knew about the risks but didn’t warn users.
Successful past lawsuits with large payouts and streamlined multidistrict litigation in California have also encouraged more claims. As of July 1, there are over 4,300 Roundup lawsuits pending in multidistrict litigation in California.
Editor Lindsay Donaldson contributed to this article.