The U.S. Supreme Court has reached out to the Department of Justice for its view on Bayer’s appeal in the Roundup cancer lawsuit involving non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The case centers on a $1.25 million verdict awarded in Missouri to John Durnell, who claimed the weedkiller caused his cancer.
Bayer argues that federal law preempts state-level failure-to-warn claims, because the EPA has determined glyphosate is not carcinogenic and did not require a cancer warning label. The company hopes a Supreme Court ruling would resolve this issue nationally.
The firm faces over 67,000 pending Roundup lawsuits and has already paid around $10 billion in settlements. Despite this, 4,425 active cases remain in the federal MDL as of July 2025. New legal theories and landmark trial outcomes continue to shape the litigation.
Critics argue Bayer’s marketing, not the label alone, failed to warn consumers of cancer risks. Bayer has warned it may withdraw glyphosate-based Roundup from the U.S. market if sweeping liability isn’t resolved.
A Supreme Court decision could be transformative. It could limit future Roundup non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma claims or push Bayer toward a new settlement strategy.
