Roundup Settlement Sparks Dispute Among Cancer Victims’ Lawyers
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A proposed $7.25 billion settlement to resolve thousands of Roundup cancer lawsuits is facing pushback from some lawyers who represent the people the deal is supposed to help.
While some plaintiffs’ lawyers support the proposed agreement as a path toward compensation and certainty, others are urging the court to pause and take a closer look. In a recent court filing, a group of 14 law firms representing nearly 20,000 people with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) asked to delay preliminary approval of the settlement.
In their request, the attorneys say the agreement needs more time and a wider review before it moves ahead.
What Is the Roundup Settlement?
Earlier this month, Bayer announced a proposed Roundup class settlement to resolve current and future claims that Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer caused NHL. The company continues to say that glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, is safe and does not cause cancer.
If the court approves the agreement, it would set up a system to pay certain claimants and create a plan for handling future cases.
However, not all lawyers for the plaintiffs think the deal is fair or should move forward as quickly as planned.
Why Are Some Roundup Lawyers Objecting?
The group seeking to intervene says the settlement was negotiated without broad input from the wider pool of lawyers representing Roundup plaintiffs. They argue that the agreement was presented to the court with a request for relatively fast preliminary approval, giving other firms limited time to review the full terms.
In their request, the objecting lawyers ask the court for 60 days to review the agreement. They say it is hundreds of pages long and could have a big impact on their clients’ rights.
They are also worried about how the compensation would be calculated.
Reports suggest the settlement might provide higher payments to people who used Roundup on the job — like farm workers — than to those who used it at home. The lawyers challenging the deal question whether this setup fairly considers the different exposures and situations of people who got cancer after using the product.
Most importantly, they warn that some people might have to give up important legal rights in exchange for payments that could be limited or uncertain.
A Rift Among Plaintiffs’ Attorneys
“Large mass tort settlements often require coordination among many law firms,” said Whitney Ray Di Bona, attorney and consumer safety advocate with Drugwatch. “In the Roundup litigation, thousands of plaintiffs are represented by firms across the country. Reaching consensus is not always easy.”
This disagreement shows that lawyers have different opinions about the best strategy and timing.
Some lawyers may view the settlement as a way to get compensation now, especially since an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case could change how failure-to-warn claims against pesticide makers are handled.
Other lawyers worry that approving a broad deal before the Supreme Court ruling could hurt some clients or set terms that need more careful review.
For people following the case, the disagreement among lawyers might be confusing. However, it shows how much is at stake. Each law firm must decide if the proposed agreement really helps its clients.
What Happens Next?
The federal judge in charge of the case will decide if the new group of law firms can join in challenging the settlement and if the timeline for reviewing it should change.
If the settlement gets preliminary approval, people in the class will be notified and can choose to opt out or object before a final decision is made.
For people with NHL who think Roundup exposure contributed to their illness, the debate among lawyers highlights an important point. Roundup settlements can affect both the amount of compensation available and whether people can still make their own claims in the future.
As the court considers the objections, people with cancer and their families should stay informed and talk to their own lawyers about how any agreement could affect their rights.
