Monsanto Lawsuits

In the 1970s, agricultural product company Monsanto discovered the herbicidal properties of glyphosate. In 1974, it began making products containing the chemical under the brand name Roundup®. By 2001, glyphosate was the most used agricultural product in the U.S. The company developed and began selling seeds that resisted the glyphosate in Roundup Ready® in 1996. By 2009, these seeds accounted for 27% of the global seed market.

Monsanto began facing Roundup lawsuits in the early 2010s, with plaintiffs claiming that Roundup causes cancer. In 2018, Bayer bought Monsanto for $60 billion.

People are filing lawsuits against Monsanto because they claim the company’s products have caused them to develop NHL. Lawsuits also claim Monsanto’s products have harmed the environment. 

As of May 2025, there were 4,432 cases pending in the Roundup Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2741). The MDL involves all formulations of the company’s Roundup products that contain glyphosate, including but not limited to:

• Roundup Concentrate Poison Ivy Plus Tough Brush Killer
• Roundup Custom
• Roundup Dry Concentrate
• Roundup Fence & Hard Edger
• Roundup Grass and Weed Killer
• Roundup Pro Dry
• Roundup Quik Stik Grass and Weed Killer
• Roundup Rainfast Concentrate Weed & Grass Killer
• Roundup Ready-to-Use Weed & Grass Killer
• Roundup Ultra
• Roundup Ultramax

Who is filing lawsuits against Monsanto?

Individuals with health conditions linked to glyphosate are filing lawsuits against Monsanto. Roundup lawsuits involve individuals who developed NHL after regular exposure to glyphosate-based weed killers in occupational and residential settings. 

Roundup products containing glyphosate are used to maintain lawns and gardens, support agriculture, and forestry and control aquatic plants. Pesticide applicators, farm workers and home gardeners are most at risk of exposure. They can be exposed to glyphosate if they inhale Roundup or contact it through their skin or eyes.

Motley Rice is proud to be seeking justice for a growing number of clients who have suffered illnesses linked to Roundup exposure. These individuals include:

• A New Jersey man who frequently used Roundup at his residential properties from 1975 to 2015. He was diagnosed with NHL in 2016.
• A South Carolina woman who was exposed to Roundup at her various homes from 1980 to 2007. She used the herbicide around landscaping and fence lines and near her vegetable garden. She was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma at age 31.
• A California man who used Roundup on multiple properties beginning in 1980. He used it on fencing, driveways, lawn edging and near his vegetable garden. He was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma at age 67.

Who are the named defendants in the Monsanto lawsuit?

The defendants in the active Monsanto lawsuits include entities involved in the design, development, manufacture, testing, packaging, promotion, marketing, advertising, distribution, labeling and sale of Roundup. Defendants include, but are not limited to, Monsanto, Bayer AG, Bayer Corporation, Bayer CropScience LLC, Bayer CropScience LP, Bayer U.S. LLC, and others.

You may be eligible to file a Monsanto lawsuit if you or someone you love was exposed to Roundup and developed NHL. 

Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate, has been linked to an increased cancer risk, specifically an increased risk of NHL. You may qualify for legal action if you were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma or any of its subtypes, including:

• Burkitt lymphoma (BL)
• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small-cell lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL)
• Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL)
• Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)
• Follicular lymphoma (FL)
• Gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma
• Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL)
• Marginal zone lymphoma (MZL)
• Peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS)

If you believe your NHL was caused by Roundup, contact a toxic exposure attorney with Motley Rice to learn more about your legal options. 

What are the resolutions in the Monsanto lawsuit?

Monsanto lawsuit resolutions have been significant. Thus far, Bayer has agreed to pay $11 billion to settle Roundup cases, $820 million to settle PCB claims and $400 million to settle dicamba claims. 

Recent Roundup lawsuit verdicts include:

• October 2024: William Melissen, 51, of Pennsylvania, was awarded $78 million. Melissen frequently used the herbicide from 1992 to 2020.
• October 2021: A Pennsylvania jury awarded John McKivison, 49, $2.25 billion. McKivison developed NHL after using Roundup on his property for more than 20 years.
• August 2018: A jury in the Superior Court of California awarded Dewayne Lee Johnson $290 million after determining Roundup caused his NHL. The court decided that even though the EPA approved glyphosate, people can still sue for personal injury. 

You may have a claim if you have an illness caused by Roundup exposure. In general, compensation in the Roundup MDL may include compensatory damages, including current and future healthcare expenses, pain and suffering, and lost income. Injured parties may also seek punitive damages.

How many Monsanto lawsuits are there?

There are tens of thousands of lawsuits involving Monsanto. The federal Roundup lawsuit docket alone has over 4,000 cases. People continue to file new lawsuits every month.

Motley Rice has represented numerous individuals, families and communities harmed by toxic exposure. Our goal is to get justice for our clients and increase protections for the public. 

In addition to the Monsanto litigation, we have represented individuals in toxic exposure lawsuits involving:

• Asbestos
• Camp Lejeune water contamination
• Paraquat weed killer
• Pesticides
• PFAS (forever chemicals)

We are here to help you fight for a safer, healthier environment to live and work. 

Read more about our toxic exposure litigation experience.