CRIME & LAW

Washington Supreme Court blocks Roundup cancer lawsuits

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The U.S. Supreme Court on June 25 issued a 7-2 ruling that blocks thousands of state-law failure-to-warn lawsuits against Bayer over its Roundup weedkiller. The justices held that users who developed cancer cannot sue under state dangerous-product warning laws when federal regulators, including the Environmental Protection Agency, have not required a cancer warning for glyphosate, Roundup’s key ingredient. The decision strengthens federal preemption over state tort claims in pesticide labeling and removes a major source of potential liability for Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018 and had faced billions of dollars in claims tied to alleged cancer risks from Roundup use.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.

Timeline of Events

1970s Roundup introduced, becomes leading herbicide
2015 WHO agency labels glyphosate probably carcinogenic
2015 Lawsuits begin alleging Roundup causes cancer
2018 Bayer acquires Monsanto, assumes Roundup liabilities
2018 Trump administration backs Bayer in litigation
Recent years Residential Roundup reformulated without glyphosate
June 25 Supreme Court issues 7-2 preemption ruling
Today Thousands of Roundup cancer cases effectively blocked

News Intelligence

This ruling affects anyone who's used Roundup and developed cancer. You can't sue Bayer under state laws now. The Supreme Court says federal rules take priority. Check if you've used the reformulated Roundup, which doesn't contain glyphosate.