Georgia Jury Orders Bayer to Pay $2.1 Billion in Roundup Cancer Lawsuit

A jury in Georgia has ordered Bayer, the parent company of Monsanto, to pay nearly $2.1 billion in damages to a man who claims that the company’s Roundup weedkiller caused his cancer, according to his attorneys, CNN reports.

The ruling is among the largest in a series of lawsuits against Monsanto over the herbicide, which contains glyphosate, a chemical some studies have linked to cancer. The jury’s decision includes $65 million in compensatory damages and $2 billion in punitive damages, as stated by the law firms Arnold & Itkin LLP and Kline & Specter PC.

Plaintiff John Barnes filed his lawsuit in 2021, alleging that prolonged exposure to Roundup led to his diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. His lead attorney, Kyle Findley, called the verdict an “important milestone” in holding Monsanto accountable.

“It’s been a long road for him … and he was happy that the truth related to the product (has) been exposed,” Findley told The Associated Press.

Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, has denied claims that Roundup causes cancer and has vowed to appeal the Georgia verdict. The company stated that the jury’s decision “conflicts with the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence and the consensus of regulatory bodies worldwide.”

Since acquiring Monsanto, Bayer has faced more than 177,000 lawsuits related to Roundup and has set aside $16 billion for settlements. While some studies suggest a link between glyphosate and cancer, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stated that the chemical is not likely to be carcinogenic when used as directed.

Despite these claims, lawsuits have accused Monsanto of failing to warn consumers about the potential risks. Findley argued that internal evidence presented in court showed “years of cover-ups” and efforts to “distract and deny the connection between this product and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.”

The Georgia verdict follows several other major losses for Bayer in Roundup-related cases. In January 2024, a jury in Philadelphia awarded $2.25 billion in a similar lawsuit. However, the company has won 17 of the last 25 trials, with some previous damage awards being reduced on appeal.

Bayer has also pushed for legal protections in several US states to shield pesticide companies from lawsuits if their product labeling complies with EPA regulations. Supporters of such legislation argue that excessive litigation threatens the availability of herbicides like Roundup, while opponents contend that it would limit corporate accountability.