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.
More context
Timeline
- 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
Why it matters
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.
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