Roundup (Glyphosate) Cancer Cases: Key Documents & Analysis

(Scroll down to see trial schedule and see Trial Tracker for detailed updates)

Monsanto’s German owner Bayer AG has confirmed that more than 52,500 people have filed suit against Monsanto alleging that exposure to Roundup herbicide caused them or their loved ones to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and that Monsanto covered up the risks.  As part of the discovery process, Monsanto has had to turn over millions of pages of its internal records. The Monsanto Papers and other court records are shared here.

COURT-ORDERED MEDIATION  On April 4, 2019 U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria ordered Bayer/Monsanto to enter into mediation with plaintiffs’ attorneys. As mediation continues, more than 2,700 lawsuits are pending in U.S. District Court in San Francisco and have been combined for handling as multidistrict litigation (MDL) under Chhabria.

There have been three trials to date, one in federal court and two in state courts. The federal trial was  the case of Edwin Hardeman V. Monsanto. That trial was bifurcated at the request of Monsanto, limiting evidence jurors  heard during a first phase to causation only. On March 19, 2019 a unanimous jury decision handed a first-round victory to Hardeman, as the six jury members found that Hardeman’s exposure to Roundup was a “substantial factor” in causing his non-Hodgkin lymphoma. On March 27, 2019 the jury returned a verdict of approximately $80 million, including punitive damages of $75 million.  Judge Chhabria reduced the punitive damages awarded Hardeman to $20 million from $75 million, putting the total award at  $25,313,383.02.   Court/discovery documents are posted below for Edwin Hardeman V. Monsanto. 

Click here for additional documents pertaining to combined MDL cases

Read internal Monsanto documents regarding the company’s ghostwriting of an important paper published in the year 2000, and how the company used that “independent” scientific literature to promote and defend its herbicides. 

STATE COURT – Thousands of plaintiffs have made similar claims against Monsanto in state courts. The first trial in the Roundup litigation concluded on Aug. 10, 2018 with the jury ruling that Monsanto’s weedkiller was a substantial contributing factor in causing DeWayne “Lee” Johnson’s cancer, and ordering Monsanto to pay $289.25 million in damages, including $250 million in punitive damages. The judge reduced the punitive damages to $39 million in an order dated Oct. 22, 2018 which put the total verdict at approximately $78 million. Monsanto has appealed, seeking to throw out the judgment, while Johnson has cross appealed, seeking to reinstate the jury award. The appeal is filed in the California 1st District Court of Appeal, case number A155940.   

The Johnson appeals hearing has been set for June 2. 

The most recent trial was Pilliod V. Monsanto. On May 13, 2019, jurors returned a verdict awarding Alva and Alberta Pilliod $2 billion in punitive damages and $55 million in compensatory damages. The judge in the case then cut the total verdict to $86.7 million. Pilliod v. Monsanto was the first case in the California Roundup Judicial Council Coordination Proceedings (JCCP) and the third Roundup cancer case to proceed to trial.  Monsanto appealed the verdict to the California 1st District Court of Appeal,  case number A158228. 

The Pilliods have filed a cross-appeal. 

    See details at this link.

Upcoming Trials: (On Feb. 7, 2020, Judge Chhabria ordered a delay in upcoming trial proceedings to allow for continued mediation. )

POSTPONED 01/15/2020   – Lake County Superior Court, Lakeport, Cal., Bellah v. Monsanto

POSTPONED 1/21/2020   – St. Louis City Court, St. Louis, Mo., Wade v Monsanto #1722-CC00370

POSTPONED 01/22/2020   – Alameda County  Superior Court, Bargas v. Monsanto HG19026873 

POSTPONED 01/17/2020  –  Contra Costa Superior Court, Cal., Caballero v Monsanto MSC19-01821 

POSTPONED 01/24/2020  – Riverside Superior Court, Cal., Cotton v Monsanto  #RIC-1903180

POSTPONED 01/27/2020   – St. Louis County Court, Clayton, Mo., Gordon v Monsanto #17SL-CC02721

POSTPONED 02/24/2020  – U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco, Cal.,  Stevick v Monsanto 

POSTPONED 04/13/2020  –   St. Louis County Court, Clayton, Mo., Priest v Monsanto

POSTPONED 04/27/2020  – St. Louis City Court, St. Louis, Mo.,  Seitz v Monsanto #1722-CC11325

05/13/2020   –   St. Louis County Court, Clayton, Mo., Bognar v Monsanto

05/05/2020  –  Marin County Superior Court, San Rafael, Cal,, Berliant v. Monsanto #CIV 1903556

06/29/2020 –     St. Louis City Court, St. Louis, Mo., Kane v Monsanto

07/13/2020   –   St. Louis County  Court, Clayton, Mo., Whitaker v Monsanto

07/24/2020 –   Riverside Superior Court, Cal., Cotton v Monsanto  #RIC-1903180

08/03/2020  –  St. Louis County  Court, Clayton, Mo., Leung v Monsanto

09/01/2020  –  St. Louis County  Court, Clayton, Mo.,  Edwards v Monsanto

10/05/2020  –    St. Louis City Court, St. Louis, Mo., Neal v Monsanto

10/05/2020  –  St. Louis City Court, Clayton, Mo., Evans v Monsanto 

11/02/2020   –  St. Louis County  Court, Clayton, Mo., Abildgaard v Monsanto 

11/02/2020   –  Jackson County Court, Kansas City, Mo., Hardy v Monsanto

01/11/2021    –  St. Louis County  Court, Clayton, Mo., Mize v Monsanto

02/01/2021  –  St. Louis City Court, Clayton, Mo., Coats v Monsanto

02/08/2021  – Jackson County Court, Kansas City, Mo., Bradford v Monsanto

03/01/2021   –  St. Louis County  Court, Clayton, Mo, Jorgensen v Monsanto 

03/01/2021 –    St. Louis County  Court, Clayton, Mo, Berry v Monsanto

04/05/2021   – St. Louis County  Court, Clayton, Mo., Salsman v Monsanto 

05/03/2021  –  Jackson County, Kansas City, Mo.,  Gutierrez v Monsanto

05/10/2021     – St. Louis County Court, Clayton, Mo.,  Chaplick v. Monsanto  Case No. 19SL-CC04115 See background.

07/12/2021 –  St. Louis County  Court, Clayton, Mo., Moore v Monsanto

08/02/2021 – St. Louis County  Court, Clayton, Mo., Davis v Monsanto

08/09/2021  –  Jackson County, Kansas City, Mo., Steffens v Monsanto

10/04/2021   –  St. Louis County  Court, Clayton, Mo., Amm v Monsanto

10/25/2021    – Jackson County, Kansas City, Mo.,  Marler v Monsanto 

ON APPEAL: DeWayne Johnson v. Monsanto: San Francisco County Superior Court /California State Court of Appeals

Details here on the Judicial Council Coordination Proceeding (JCCP): Alameda County Superior Court