This month in brief
Roundup lawsuits claim that glyphosate, the weed killer’s active ingredient, caused non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Monsanto makes Roundup. Bayer owns Monsanto.
Three facts shape the litigation in October 2026:
- A class settlement is waiting for a final ruling. Monsanto proposed a nationwide class deal worth up to $7.25 billion. A St. Louis judge held the fairness hearing on Sept. 14, 2026. No ruling had been reported as of mid-October, according to a plaintiff-firm tracker.
- The Supreme Court narrowed label claims. In Monsanto Co. v. Durnell, the Court held that federal law blocks state failure-to-warn claims seeking a cancer warning on the Roundup label.
- Design-defect claims continue. A St. Louis jury began hearing a design-defect trial on Sept. 29, 2026.
Timeline of key dates
| Date |
What happened |
| Mar. 21, 2025 |
A Georgia jury awarded John Barnes nearly $2.1 billion ($65 million compensatory plus $2 billion punitive). Monsanto said it would appeal. |
| Feb. 17, 2026 |
Monsanto filed a proposed nationwide class settlement of up to $7.25 billion in St. Louis. |
| Mar. 4, 2026 |
Judge Timothy Boyer granted preliminary approval and ordered a $500 million initial deposit. |
| May 2026 |
Objectors moved the case to federal court. MDL Judge Vince Chhabria questioned parts of the deal but declined to block it (plaintiff-firm tracker). |
| June 4, 2026 |
Deadline to opt out of or object to the class settlement. |
| June 17, 2026 |
Judge Henry Autrey (E.D. Mo.) sent the settlement case back to St. Louis state court. |
| June 25, 2026 |
The Supreme Court decided Monsanto Co. v. Durnell, 7-2. |
| Aug. 27, 2026 |
The Eighth Circuit dismissed the objectors’ appeal, according to Bayer’s own statement. |
| Sept. 14, 2026 |
The court held its final-approval hearing. About 135 objectors were heard (plaintiff-firm tracker). |
| Sept. 29, 2026 |
A design-defect trial began in St. Louis (plaintiff-firm tracker). |
| Oct. 1, 2026 |
MDL 2741 had 1,104 pending cases, per the JPML. |
| Mid-Oct. 2026 |
No final approval ruling reported (plaintiff-firm tracker). |
The Durnell ruling and what it left open
The Supreme Court decided Monsanto Co. v. Durnell, No. 24-1068, on June 25, 2026. Justice Kavanaugh wrote for a 7-2 majority. Justice Jackson dissented, joined by Justice Gorsuch.
The Court held that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) expressly preempts certain state claims. These are failure-to-warn claims that would require a cancer warning on an EPA-approved Roundup label. The ruling overturned a Missouri jury verdict worth more than $1 million.
The ruling did not address design-defect claims. A design-defect claim says the product itself was unreasonably dangerous, whatever the label said.
Bayer says Durnell should lead to dismissal of current warning-based claims and stop future ones. That is Bayer’s own statement, not the Court’s words.
Inside the $7.25 billion class deal
Monsanto filed the proposed settlement in St. Louis on Feb. 17, 2026. At the time, Bayer faced about 65,000 plaintiffs. Key terms, as reported by Fox Business:
| Term |
What it says |
| Total |
Up to $7.25 billion |
| Payment period |
Capped annual payments over up to 21 years |
| Who is covered |
People exposed before mid-February 2026 who are diagnosed with NHL now or within 16 years of approval |
| Withdrawal |
Bayer may walk away if opt-outs pass a set level |
| Class counsel fees |
$675 million requested, 9.3% of the fund (plaintiff-firm tracker) |
Judge Timothy Boyer of the 22nd Judicial Circuit granted preliminary approval on March 4, 2026. He ordered a $500 million initial deposit and set the June 4 opt-out deadline.
Objectors then moved the case to federal court. On June 17, 2026, Judge Henry Autrey sent it back. He ruled that objectors are not defendants who can remove a case. Bayer reports that the Eighth Circuit dismissed the objectors’ appeal on Aug. 27, 2026. That comes only from Bayer’s statement.
In May 2026, Judge Chhabria, who runs the federal MDL, questioned whether the deal can bind out-of-state users and people not yet diagnosed. He declined to block it, according to a plaintiff-firm tracker.
No final approval ruling had been reported as of mid-October 2026. The final opt-out count has not been published. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
The federal MDL and the St. Louis trial
The federal cases sit in In re Roundup Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2741. Judge Vince Chhabria presides in the Northern District of California. As of Oct. 1, 2026, the MDL had 1,104 pending cases. A total of 5,324 cases have been part of it over time.
In St. Louis, a trial on design-defect theories began on Sept. 29, 2026. Three women with NHL who are outside the class brought the claims. No verdict had been reported as of Oct. 7, 2026, according to a plaintiff-firm tracker. We will report the outcome in next month’s check.
If you were diagnosed with NHL now
Your options depend on when you were exposed and what you did before June 4, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.
- Exposed before mid-February 2026: If approved, the class settlement covers people like you who are diagnosed now or within 16 years of approval. The opt-out deadline has passed.
- Exposed only after mid-February 2026: The class definition, as reported, does not reach you. Ask a lawyer what claims you may still have.
- Already opted out: Opting out generally means you keep your own claim. After Durnell, a claim based only on the missing label warning faces a federal bar. Design-defect claims were not addressed.
Write down when, where and how often you used Roundup. Keep your diagnosis date and medical records. Filing windows differ by state, so ask a lawyer how long you have.
For the other lawsuits we track, see the October 2026 overview. For a related cancer case type, see the hair relaxer lawsuit update.