Published
February 18, 2026
Updated
July 7, 2026
Bayer's $7.25B deal is the largest Roundup settlement yet — and after the Supreme Court's June 2026 ruling limited state failure-to-warn suits, it's the main path to compensation for people who got non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Key Dates & Deadlines
• Motion for Preliminary Approval Filed: February 17, 2026• Preliminary Approval Granted: March 4, 2026
• Opt-Out Deadline: June 4, 2026 (passed)
• Objection Deadline: June 4, 2026 (passed)
• Fairness (Final Approval) Hearing: August 19, 2026, 9:00 a.m. CT (rescheduled from July 9, 2026)
After final approval is granted, class members with an NHL diagnosis will have 180 days to register for benefits and must file a claim within 180 days after any appeals are resolved. Class members diagnosed with NHL later do not need to register now — they may file a claim within 6 years of diagnosis, or before the 16th Annual Payment Date, whichever comes first.
Status
Pending Final Approval
preliminary approval granted March 4, 2026 · fairness hearing August 19, 2026 · registration & claims not yet open
Settlement Amount
Up to $7.25 billion
payouts $6,000 to $165,000+ per qualifying NHL diagnosis · paid over ~21 years
Supreme Court
Monsanto v. Durnell — decided
June 25, 2026 · 7–2 for Monsanto · FIFRA preempts state failure-to-warn claims
Official Website
WeedKillerClass.com
Monsanto Company (Bayer AG) · 22nd Judicial Circuit Court, St. Louis, MO
If you or a loved one used RoundUp and were later diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma or a related cancer, visit the RoundUp Cancer Lawsuit page for full details on how to qualify and file a claim.
This is the largest RoundUp settlement proposal since Bayer's original $10.9 billion settlement in 2020, which covered approximately 125,000 filed and unfiled claims but was later challenged in court. The new $7.25 billion settlement is designed to cover both existing lawsuits and future claims over a 21-year period, with Monsanto making annual payments into the settlement fund over the next two decades.
How Much Will RoundUp Settlement Payments Be?
According to reports from The New Lede, which obtained details from the proposed settlement, average RoundUp settlement awards will range from $10,000 to $165,000 per claimant, depending on the severity of illness, level of exposure, and other individual factors.Unlike a traditional class action where everyone receives the same amount, the RoundUp litigation determines compensation on an individual basis. Plaintiffs with stronger cases, greater documented exposure, and more severe cancer diagnoses could receive significantly more.
Bayer did not disclose the exact average payout expected per recipient. However, Motley Rice co-founder and settlement negotiator Joseph Rice confirmed that both occupational and residential exposures are covered, and that payments could begin in 2026.
The settlement payouts will be financed by an $8 billion bank loan, along with senior bonds and instruments receiving equity credit from rating agencies. Bayer said the resolutions will increase its total litigation liability from 7.8 billion euros ($9.2 billion) to 11.8 billion euros ($13.9 billion).
Plaintiffs' attorney Chris Seeger called the proposed settlement "a historic step toward bringing justice and financial relief to thousands of people across the country who developed Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma after exposure to RoundUp."
Free Case Review — See If You Qualify
Who Qualifies for the RoundUp Cancer Settlement?
The proposed settlement covers people who were exposed to RoundUp before February 17, 2026 — the date the proposed legal remedy was announced — and who have a medical diagnosis of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, or are diagnosed with NHL within 16 years of the proposed settlement gaining final court approval.Qualifying diagnoses include Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL), Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL), Follicular Lymphoma, Mantle Cell Lymphoma, Burkitt Lymphoma, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), Peripheral T-Cell Lymphomas, and other related lymphoma subtypes.
People most at risk for RoundUp cancer claims include farmers, agricultural workers, landscapers, groundskeepers, maintenance workers, and homeowners who used RoundUp in their yards and gardens — often without protective gear. The settlement covers both occupational exposure (commercial and agricultural use) and residential exposure (home gardening and lawn care).
To participate, you must be able to demonstrate both RoundUp exposure and a qualifying cancer diagnosis. The settlement specifically covers people who know they were exposed because they themselves purchased or applied the product.
How to File a RoundUp Cancer Claim
Filing a RoundUp cancer lawsuit typically starts with consulting an experienced mass tort or personal injury attorney. A lawyer will review your history of RoundUp use and your medical diagnosis to confirm you qualify, then handle preparing and filing the lawsuit.You will need to provide documentation such as medical records confirming your cancer diagnosis, proof of RoundUp use or exposure (receipts, work records, photos, timecards, work orders, equipment logs, or witness statements), employer or coworker statements and site records, and notes on when and how RoundUp was used and any protective gear worn.
Strong documentation can speed review and strengthen your claim. Unlike a single-deadline class action, the RoundUp litigation involves individual claims with state-specific statutes of limitations. Most states give you one to three years from your cancer diagnosis to file a lawsuit. Missing this deadline can bar you from seeking compensation, so consulting a lawyer as soon as possible after diagnosis is critical.
Can I Opt Out of the Settlement and Go to Trial Instead?
Yes. Under the proposed settlement, people can opt out of the deal and take their cases to trial in the regular court system. However, Monsanto has the right to terminate the entire settlement without payment of claims if the number of opt-outs is excessive, according to Bayer's head of litigation Bill Dodero.Bayer CEO Bill Anderson said he expects the "vast majority" of future cases to be covered with the accord, though he declined to give details on how much individual claimants would get.
The decision to opt out is significant. While some past jury verdicts have been massive — $2.25 billion, $2.1 billion, and $332 million in individual cases — the Supreme Court's June 2026 ruling in Monsanto v. Durnell has now sharply limited the state failure-to-warn theory behind those verdicts.
Why Bayer Is Settling Now: The Supreme Court Factor
The timing of Bayer's settlement proposal was not a coincidence. On June 25, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Monsanto Co. v. Durnell, ruling 7–2 that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) preempts state failure-to-warn claims involving the RoundUp label. In plain terms, Bayer argued that because the EPA approved the RoundUp label without a cancer warning, state courts cannot hold the company liable for failing to include one — and the Court agreed.Because the Supreme Court ruled in Bayer's favor, the legal basis for most future state failure-to-warn RoundUp lawsuits is now sharply limited. That makes the class settlement the more certain path for current plaintiffs rather than risking their claims in court.
Bayer CEO Bill Anderson acknowledged this leverage directly, stating that the potential for a favorable Supreme Court ruling is "an important incentive for people to participate in the class." He described the class settlement and the Supreme Court case as "both necessary to help bring the strongest, most certain and most timely containment to this litigation."
The Durnell case originated in October 2023 when a St. Louis jury found Monsanto liable for failing to warn John Durnell about cancer risks and awarded $1.25 million. The jury rejected design defect and negligence claims and declined to award punitive damages. Monsanto appealed on FIFRA preemption grounds. The Missouri Court of Appeals upheld the verdict in February 2025. The U.S. Supreme Court granted review, heard argument on April 27, 2026, and on June 25, 2026 reversed the Missouri judgment 7–2, holding that FIFRA preempts the failure-to-warn claim.
The Durnell case is independent of the proposed settlement. But the settlement removes the risk the ruling created for patients seeking damages — participating claimants get paid regardless of the decision.
U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer filed a brief supporting Bayer's position, arguing that upholding the Durnell decision would allow juries to ignore expert scientific decisions made by the EPA.
Mass Tort vs. Class Action: What's the Difference?
Many people ask whether RoundUp is a class action lawsuit. Historically, these cases have been handled as mass tort claims — meaning each plaintiff files an individual lawsuit, but cases are consolidated for pretrial purposes in a federal Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) in California. This structure provides efficiency like a class action but allows each plaintiff to receive compensation tailored to their individual losses.The new $7.25 billion proposal represents a shift. Bayer is now pursuing a class action settlement structure filed in Missouri state court, which would resolve both current and future claims under a single umbrella. This is different from the prior MDL approach. The proposed class settlement would need to be approved by the St. Louis Circuit Court judge before it takes effect.
In a mass tort, compensation is determined individually. In the proposed class settlement, payments would follow a structured formula based on diagnosis type, exposure level, and other factors — with average payouts ranging from $10,000 to $165,000.
Bayer has also separately settled at least $3 billion in additional individual cases outside the class settlement, including the resolution of a $2.1 billion Georgia verdict.
The Full History of RoundUp Lawsuits and Verdicts
The RoundUp cancer lawsuit story began in 2018 when a California jury awarded $289 million to Dewayne Johnson, a school groundskeeper who developed Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma after years of spraying RoundUp. Although the award was later reduced on appeal, it set the stage for thousands of additional lawsuits and became one of the most significant product liability verdicts in U.S. history.Since then, juries have returned massive verdicts. In 2019, an $80 million federal jury award was followed by a $2 billion California state court verdict for a married couple who both developed lymphoma after decades of RoundUp use. In 2020, Bayer agreed to pay approximately $10.9 billion to settle around 125,000 filed and unfiled claims. In 2023, a California jury awarded $332 million to a single plaintiff. And in 2025, a Georgia jury returned a $2.1 billion verdict against Bayer, followed by a $175 million Pennsylvania verdict and a $2.25 billion verdict in another consolidated case.
As of 2026, Bayer has paid more than $11 billion in total settlements and jury verdicts to tens of thousands of people suffering from NHL they blame on exposure to RoundUp. Approximately 67,000 lawsuits remain pending, and new lawsuits continue to be filed daily.
What Is Glyphosate and Why Is It Controversial?
Glyphosate is the active chemical ingredient in RoundUp and is one of the most widely used herbicides worldwide. It was patented by Missouri-based Monsanto in 1971. For decades, RoundUp was marketed as safe for farmers, landscapers, and homeowners. But concerns grew after scientific studies suggested potential cancer risks.In 2015, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans" — a classification that became the foundation for thousands of cancer lawsuits. A 2019 University of Washington study found that people with high exposure to glyphosate had a 41% higher risk of developing Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), however, maintains that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic when used as directed, and does not require RoundUp labels to warn about Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. This regulatory conflict between the IARC and the EPA was at the heart of the litigation — and the Supreme Court's June 2026 decision in Monsanto v. Durnell, which sided with the EPA-approved label.
Evidence presented in court suggested that Monsanto ghostwrote studies and influenced regulatory reviews to downplay safety concerns. Plaintiffs argue that Monsanto knew or should have known about the cancer risks but failed to provide adequate warnings and continued selling the product after research raised red flags.
Is RoundUp Still on the Market?
RoundUp is still sold in the U.S., but Bayer has already stopped making glyphosate-based RoundUp for home and residential use. Agricultural and commercial versions containing glyphosate remain available. In September 2025, Bayer said it was seeking regulatory approval for a new herbicide to replace glyphosate-based RoundUp for agricultural and commercial use in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia, and Brazil.Globally, some countries and municipalities have restricted or banned glyphosate, but there is no nationwide U.S. ban.
Can Bayer Afford to Pay? The Bankruptcy Question
Bayer acquired Monsanto in 2018 for $63 billion — a deal that has become one of the most disastrous corporate acquisitions in modern history. The company's market capitalization has collapsed to roughly $25.65 billion as of 2025, less than half of what it paid for Monsanto. Bayer stock dropped approximately 10% on the day of the settlement announcement as investors processed the additional liability.The new $7.25 billion class settlement and $3 billion in additional separate settlements bring the company's total litigation liability to approximately $13.9 billion. The settlement payouts will be financed by an $8 billion bank loan. Bayer also added approximately $1 billion to its resolutions of suits tied to a Seattle-area school where more than 200 people contend they were exposed to toxic chemicals (PCBs) once manufactured by Monsanto.
Bayer expects negative free cash flow in 2026 due to the settlement payouts.
Legal analysts have reported that Bayer has considered a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing for its Monsanto subsidiary — a move that would push all current and future RoundUp cancer lawsuits into the bankruptcy system. If Bayer pursues this route, it could significantly limit individual payouts for plaintiffs.
Some investors remained cautious. Markus Manns, portfolio manager at Union Investment, said that while Bayer has "likely extracted the best possible outcome from a highly complex situation," the deal "does not yet represent the decisive breakthrough many investors had hoped for."
What Types of Compensation Are Available?
Victims who file RoundUp cancer lawsuits may be eligible for several types of compensation depending on their circumstances. These include medical expenses for past and future treatment costs (chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, hospitalization, and ongoing monitoring), lost wages and reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering damages for physical pain, emotional distress, and reduced quality of life, and wrongful death damages for surviving family members if a loved one passed away due to RoundUp-related cancer.How Is This Different from the 2020 RoundUp Settlement?
In 2020, Bayer agreed to pay approximately $10.9 billion to settle around 125,000 filed and unfiled claims. That deal covered short-term claims and included a separate $2 billion fund for future claims — but a federal judge rejected the future claims portion in 2021, finding it inadequate.The new $7.25 billion class settlement is structured differently. It is filed in Missouri state court (not federal court), covers both current and future claims under a single class action umbrella, extends for a 21-year period with annual payments into the settlement fund, covers people diagnosed with NHL within 16 years of final court approval, and includes an opt-out provision allowing individuals to take their cases to trial.
This approach is designed to provide Bayer with more durable finality than the 2020 deal achieved.
How Long Do RoundUp Lawsuits Take?
The timeline depends on whether a case settles or goes to trial. Many cases resolve in one to two years through negotiated settlements. Trials and appeals can take much longer — some verdicts have been appealed for years. The MDL structure can speed up the process by consolidating discovery and pretrial rulings across thousands of cases. Under the new proposed class settlement, payments could begin as early as 2026 if the court grants approval.State Attorneys General and Government Actions
Several state attorneys general have taken action related to glyphosate and Roundup. In addition, the conflicting positions of the EPA (which maintains glyphosate is safe) and the IARC (which classified it as probably carcinogenic) have drawn attention from lawmakers. The Supreme Court's June 2026 decision in Monsanto v. Durnell reshaped the regulatory landscape for pesticide labeling nationwide, with implications far beyond RoundUp.What Happens Next
The $7.25 billion RoundUp class action settlement must receive final approval from the St. Louis Circuit Court before payments can begin; the fairness hearing is set for August 19, 2026. If approved, Monsanto will make annual payments into the settlement fund over the next 21 years. The Supreme Court has already decided Monsanto Co. v. Durnell (June 25, 2026), holding that federal law preempts state failure-to-warn claims — which limits whether future state RoundUp lawsuits can proceed.For RoundUp cancer victims, the message from plaintiffs' attorneys is clear: with the Durnell ruling now limiting individual state suits, the class settlement is the most certain path to compensation.
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Sources
• AP News, "Bayer agrees to $7.25 billion proposed settlement over thousands of Roundup cancer lawsuits" (Feb. 17, 2026)• The New Lede, "Bayer proposes $7.25 billion class action settlement in Roundup litigation" (Feb. 17, 2026)
• CBS News, "Bayer proposes $7.2 billion settlement to resolve Roundup weedkiller cases" (Feb. 17, 2026)
• Bloomberg, "Bayer Eyes Deal to Pay More Than $7 Billion in Roundup Cases" (Feb. 18, 2026)
• Courthouse News Service, "Bayer proposes $7.25 billion Roundup settlement" (Feb. 17, 2026)
• UPI, "Bayer agrees to $7.25B Roundup class-action settlement" (Feb. 17, 2026)
• Bayer AG, "Monsanto announces Roundup class settlement" (Feb. 17, 2026)
• Bayer AG, "Bayer welcomes the U.S. Supreme Court decision to review the Durnell case" (Jan. 16, 2026)
• Monsanto Company v. Durnell, No. 24-1068 (U.S. Supreme Court, decided June 25, 2026)
Filing RoundUp Class Action Lawsuit Information
This page is for informational purposes. OpenClassActions.com is not a law firm and is not a claims administrator. For legal advice speak with an attorney licensed in your state.Free settlement alerts
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