Bayer AG announces $7.25B class settlement agreement to resolve Roundup claims

Bayer AG’s unit, Monsanto, is proposing a nationwide class settlement in the United States of up to $7.25 billion to be paid in installments for up to 21 years. 

In a statement posted to the company’s website, the company explained it hopes the initiative will resolve current and future claims alleging Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) injuries caused by the company’s weedkiller Roundup. 

Following approval from the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, the long-term program commits the company to make declining, capped annual payments, allowing claimants diagnosed before or within 16 years of final approval to seek compensation.

The class settlement is only one part of the pharmaceutical’s strategy to finally close an incredibly litigious and expensive chapter in its history. The pharmaceutical giant is awaiting the Supreme Court’s final resolution on the review of the Durell v. Monsanto case, which, if favorable, could dramatically limit future litigation in relation to the company’s best-selling pesticide. 

“The proposed class settlement agreement, together with the Supreme Court case, provides an essential path out of the litigation uncertainty and enables us to devote our full attention to furthering the innovations that lie at the core of our mission,” said Bill Anderson, CEO of Bayer. 

The executive reiterated the need for guidance from the Highest Court in the Land on clear regulation in American agriculture, saying it is “necessary to help bring the strongest, most certain and most timely containment to this litigation.”

More settlements in Bayer’s Roundup cases

In parallel, Monsanto has settled other Roundup cases on confidential terms, as well as eight remaining PCB verdicts related to the Sky Valley Education Center in Washington. The company’s subsidiary also previously resolved PCB environmental cases with Illinois and West Virginia.

According to the company, including litigation costs, these resolutions will lead to an increase in the provision and liabilities for litigation from $9.24 billion (including $7.7 billion for glyphosate) as of September 30, 2025, to nearly $14.2 billion (including $11.4 billion for glyphosate). 

Based on a first estimate of all litigation-related payouts of nearly $6 billion in 2026, the pharma giant expects a negative free cash flow for this year. 

*All images courtesy of Bayer. 

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