Roundup® Lawsuit

People are filing lawsuits arguing Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The plaintiffs in these cases believe Monsanto — now owned entirely by Bayer Corp. — failed to warn them that its active ingredient, glyphosate, could cause cancer.

People are filing lawsuits against Monsanto and Bayer nationwide in state and federal courts. Many of the federal cases have been consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) docket.

Plaintiffs continue to file Monsanto lawsuits as part of MDL-2741, alleging that Roundup causes cancer. If you or a loved one developed cancer related to glyphosate exposure, a Roundup attorney can help you explore your legal options.

The Roundup MDL — In re: Roundup Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2741) — is in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Judge Vince Chhabria is presiding over the case.

When people file many civil lawsuits against one or several defendants for similar allegations in federal court, the lawsuits may be consolidated into multidistrict litigation (MDL). This consolidation allows a single judge to preside over hundreds or thousands of claims.

The Roundup MDL was created in 2016 when plaintiffs requested consolidation of existing cases. At that time, 21 cases had been filed against Monsanto in 14 federal districts. While the court processed the MDL request, an additional 16 claims were filed in 12 federal districts.

As of April 2025, 4,415 claims are active in the Roundup MDL.

How Roundup has impacted people

Motley Rice is proud to represent a growing number of people who’ve suffered harm from Roundup exposure. These individuals include:

• A South Carolina woman who was exposed to Roundup at various homes from 1980 to 2007. She sprayed Roundup around the properties, including near vegetable gardens, landscaping and fence lines. She was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma at age 31.
• A New Jersey woman who was exposed to Roundup at her home from 2010 to 2022. She purchased and sprayed the weed killer throughout the landscape, driveway and sidewalk. She was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma at age 54.
• A California man who used Roundup at various properties for decades, beginning in the late 1980s, sprayed the herbicide to control weeds throughout his vegetable garden, fences and driveway, and around the edges of his lawn. He was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma at the age of 67. He received chemotherapy to treat his cancer and has routine PET scans every 6 months while currently in remission.
• Beginning in the late 1970s, a South Carolina man purchased, mixed and sprayed Roundup for decades on his 3,000 acre farm where he grew cotton, corn and soybeans. He was diagnosed with primary CNS lymphoma at age 69. He received multiple rounds of chemotherapy and continues to have routine scans to make sure the cancer hasn’t come back.

If you’ve developed, or a loved one has developed, similar conditions and you believe Roundup may be the cause, don’t hesitate to reach out to a Roundup lawyer at Motley Rice. Our team can help you decide with a free consultation whether a Roundup lawsuit is right for your situation.

Why contact a Roundup lawsuit attorney?

Attorneys with toxic exposure litigation experience can help guide you through your Roundup case. First, they can determine if you are eligible to file a claim. If you are eligible, your lawyers will help put together your case, including compiling necessary documents, medical records and then file it.

Your Roundup cancer lawyer will then see your case through the legal system. This could include going to trial and fielding settlement offers before resolution. 

Roundup is a weed killer manufactured by Monsanto Company and Bayer. Farmers, landscape workers, and homeowners often use 
Roundup for weed control around crops, lawns, and gardens.
 
Roundup’s active ingredient is glyphosate, which has been registered in the U.S. as an herbicide since 1974. Glyphosate-based herbicides are widely available in the U.S.

However, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has stated that glyphosate is a probable carcinogen (cancer-causing substance) and can be linked to cancers such as non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). IARC is an agency of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Roundup manufacturers Monsanto Company and Bayer Corp. have maintained that glyphosate is safe. Monsanto and Bayer have several glyphosate-based herbicides. But the allegations have fueled federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) and state court proceedings involving thousands of plaintiffs who claim to have developed cancer caused by Roundup weed killer.

What is the main bad ingredient in Roundup?

Glyphosate is the herbicidal ingredient in Roundup that can be harmful to humans. IARC has found evidence to suggest that glyphosate may be carcinogenic.

While plants treated with glyphosate typically die within three days, it can persist in the environment and be found in people well beyond its application area.

Which Roundup products contain glyphosate?

Roundup products containing glyphosate include:

• Roundup Ready-to-Use Weed & Grass Killer 2
• Roundup Concentrate Poison Ivy Plus Tough Brush Killer 1
• Roundup Ready-to-Use Extended Control Weed & Grass Killer 1 Plus Weed Preventer
• Roundup Rainfast Super Concentrate Weed & Grass Killer

While many Roundup products contain glyphosate, not all products marketed under the label carry Roundup’s signature herbicide. Consumers can check the ingredient labels on any Roundup product to see if it contains glyphosate.

Is Roundup still legal?

Yes, Roundup is still legal in the United States. However, Roundup formulations containing glyphosate may soon be less widely available. In 2021, Bayer announced it would begin producing some non-glyphosate Roundup products — particularly those sold in U.S. residential markets — by 2023. Bayer will continue to sell glyphosate-based products for commercial use.

Calls for a Roundup ban

Calls for a ban on glyphosate products have been domestic and worldwide. In 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the French government would find alternatives for the chemical. He also said he planned to ban the chemical by 2020.

In 2020, France announced certain restrictions on glyphosate use and sale. In 2023, a French court banned two glyphosate products entirely. Other countries and locales have made similar bans.

The U.S. has not moved toward a ban because glyphosate’s status as a probable human carcinogen has been hotly debated. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reevaluating its position on glyphosate because of a change in a U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision.

The Court nullified a prior temporary ruling that was part of an ongoing review process on glyphosate. The process included deliberation over the continued registration and use of glyphosate. The review process will need to be reconsidered or revised based on this new court action.

The EPA does not currently recognize glyphosate as a possible human carcinogen. 

Many lawsuits against Monsanto and Bayer argue that glyphosate is a health risk. While the adverse health conditions may be as mild as slight throat irritation, litigation addresses people diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) has identified several possible methods of glyphosate exposure for humans. Roundup exposure pathways and resulting symptoms include:

• Ingestion: Difficulty swallowing, gastrointestinal hemorrhage and death in severe cases
• Inhalation: Oral discomfort, nasal discomfort, tingling and throat irritation
• Skin exposure: Eye and skin irritation

Roundup exposure may happen by consuming contaminated food or water, or being nearby while the product is sprayed. This can affect agricultural workers, groundskeepers and bystanders.

As of right now, lawsuits are only being filed for people alleging that Roundup exposure caused their non-Hodgkin lymphoma. However, research is still being conducted on other ways glyphosate and Roundup may affect humans.

The alleged link between Roundup and non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Studies have linked Roundup to cancer. One of the most commonly named injuries in Roundup lawsuits is non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

Various researchers have tried quantifying the risk of developing NHL from glyphosate exposure. One analysis from the University of Washington Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) found glyphosate increases the risk of NHL by 41%.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma can manifest anywhere in the body, including the abdomen, chest, brain and skin. Symptoms can be debilitating and include, but are not limited to:

• Chest pain or pressure
• Enlarged lymph nodes
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Low red blood cell counts
• Night sweats
• Shortness of breath or cough
• Swollen abdomen.
• Weight loss

Roundup users have also reported other cancers, such as B-cell lymphomas, T-cell lymphomas, leukemia and rare subtypes of NHL.

People who have been exposed to Roundup and other glyphosate products may wish to see a doctor to set up cancer screening tests.

If you or a loved one have developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma and believe it was related to Roundup use, you have options. A Roundup lawyer can evaluate your case and discuss your options.

Monsanto denies Roundup’s alleged link to cancer

Since its introduction in the 1970s, Roundup has grown into one of the most widely used herbicides on the market.

More than 60% of all glyphosate use in the U.S. occurred between 2004 and 2014. The uptick in use was largely because of the introduction of genetically engineered, herbicide-tolerant seeds also developed by Monsanto. 

Glyphosate’s safety has been questioned for decades. Several U.S. and global agencies have conducted studies and statistical analyses regarding glyphosate’s risks. Early evaluations in the 1980s called glyphosate “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” 

In 2015, the IARC, on behalf of the WHO, re-classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans” after extensively evaluating peer-reviewed scientific literature and data.

In 2017, various Monsanto emails and documents were brought to public attention during litigation. Internal emails showed Monsanto executives planning to recruit outside scientists to author pro-Roundup studies ghost-written by Monsanto employees. 

Monsanto executive William Heydens wrote about this plan in one 2015 email. “We would be keeping the cost down by us doing the writing and they would just edit & sign their names so to speak," Heydens said. The emails also showed that Monsanto had already used this plan in a 2000 study. 

Plaintiffs allege Monsanto and Bayer have failed to conduct adequate studies refuting the 2015 IARC panel’s conclusions about the product’s ability to cause cancer.

Thousands of Americans have filed Roundup lawsuits. In 2016, the court established a multidistrict litigation docket to handle many of these cases under one court.

Several large verdicts and settlements have gone in favor of Roundup victims. For example, in 2019 one California couple was awarded $86.7 million. Motley Rice did not represent the couple.

Some Monsanto Roundup decisions have involved punitive and compensatory damages. A court decides punitive damages as a way to punish defendants for harming others. Compensatory damages are meant to provide compensation for personal injury victims.

Successful Roundup litigation often hinges on the defendant’s alleged failure to warn users of the risks associated with Roundup. This is a common argument in product liability cases.

Roundup attorneys can help Roundup users with NHL collect necessary documents, file a lawsuit for them and litigate the case in court. Successful Roundup cancer lawsuits may end in a settlement agreement or verdict with an award. 

Thousands of individuals have active Roundup lawsuits as part of the federal MDL or in state courts. As of January 2024, Bayer states it had more than 50,000 claims pending against it. More than 4,000 of these cases are part of the federal MDL which names Monsanto as a defendant.

Lawsuits continue to be filed against Bayer for injuries allegedly caused by Roundup. 

Roundup lawyers at Motley Rice are helping clients file suits against Bayer for non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnoses. The following timeline includes non-Motley Rice legal developments.

Roundup settlements

Settlements are agreements between the defendant (in this case, usually Bayer and Monsanto) and the plaintiffs (people claiming harm by Roundup).

Bayer Corp. has made settlement offers to multiple plaintiffs; some have accepted the offers, while others have rejected them. Plaintiffs get to decide if they want to accept or reject a settlement offer.

Bayer’s 2023 Financial Report sheds some light on how many claims have been settled. “As of January 31, 2024, Monsanto had reached settlements and/or was close to settling a substantial number of claims. Of the approximately 167,000 claims in total, approximately 113,000 have been settled or are not eligible for various reasons,” the report reads.

The report also revealed that as of December 2023, the company had provisionally set aside $6.3 billion in anticipation of potential payouts for Roundup lawsuits.

Learn more about Roundup settlements.

Here are answers to a few questions people often ask about Roundup lawsuits.

Is there a Roundup class action lawsuit?

There's not currently a Roundup class action lawsuit. Instead, thousands of Roundup lawsuits are included in multidistrict litigation (MDL) in federal court.

MDL is a technique for a single federal court to oversee hundreds or thousands of similar civil claims. Unlike a class action, an MDL does not consolidate all the lawsuits into a single claim. The court can rule on matters that may impact all of the cases in an MDL, but each plaintiff has an individual claim that may result in a settlement or jury award.

Who qualifies for a Roundup lawsuit?

To file a roundup lawsuit, you will need to prove:

• That you’ve been exposed to Roundup
• You have developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma or a similar condition
• There is a link between your diagnosis and exposure to Roundup

Family members impacted by the injury or death of a loved one may be able to file a lawsuit on their behalf.

Speaking with a Roundup lawyer can help you understand if you are eligible to file a Roundup lawsuit.

Is it too late to join the Roundup weed killer litigation?

No, it’s not too late to file a Roundup weed killer litigation. The federal MDL is still accepting claims. People may also be eligible to file a lawsuit in state courts.

If you’re curious about how to file a Roundup lymphoma lawsuit, consider speaking with a Roundup attorney at Motley Rice. Doing so as soon as possible can help you stay within filing deadlines called statutes of limitations (SOL). Once these deadlines pass, you can’t file.

Our attorneys have experience litigating toxic exposure and environmental damage cases. Our law firm has represented individuals, families, communities and states. While we seek justice for our clients, our cases also look to improve environmental standards and protections for all.

In addition to our Roundup experience, we have represented people exposed to:

• AFFF firefighting foam
• Asbestos
• Contaminated water at Camp Lejeune
• PFAS, also known as forever chemicals
• Paraquat weed killer

We have also obtained a landmark settlement for 10 cities and counties in California that alleged three lead pigment companies created a public nuisance by exposing residents to toxic lead paint.

Read more on our toxic exposure experience.