Supreme Court will hear appeal by maker of popular Roundup weedkiller to block thousands of lawsuits

WASHINGTON -- WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear an appeal from global agrochemical manufacturer Bayer to block thousands of state lawsuits alleging it failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller could cause cancer.The justices will consider whether the Environmental Protection Agency's approval of the Roundup weedkiller without a cancer warning should rule out the state court claims.The Trump administration has weighed in on Bayer's behalf, reversing the Biden administration's position and putting it at odds with some supporters of the Make America Healthy Again agenda who oppose giving the company the legal immunity it seeks.Some studies associate Roundup’s key ingredient, glyphosate, with cancer, although the EPA has said it is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans when used as directed.Bayer disputes the cancer claims but has set aside $16 billion to settle cases.

At the same time, it has tried to persuade states to pass laws barring the lawsuits.Georgia and North Dakota have done so.The high court will take up a case from Missouri, in which a jury awarded $1.25 million to a man who developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after spraying Roundup on a community garden in St.

Louis.The Supreme Court in 2022 declined to hear a similar claim from Bayer in a California case that awarded more than $86 million to a married couple.But Germany-based Bayer, which acquired Roundup maker Monsanto in 2018, contends the Supreme Court should intervene now because lower courts have issued conflicting rulings.In 2024, the 3rd U.S.

Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Bayer’s favor.Popular ReadsMinneapolis ICE shooting live updates: Fed probe for mayor, governor, officials sayJan 16, 9:53 PMMajority of Americans say ICE agent’s shooting of Good was unjustified, inappropriateJan 15, 5:21 PMState Department warns US citizens to leave VenezuelaJan 11, 10:28 PMBayer faces about 181,000 Roundup claims, mostly from residential users.It has stopped u...