The German agrochemical and pharmaceutical company agreed to pay $ 39.6 million, according to court documents.
The trial is about whether the U.S. seed giant Monsanto, acquired by Bayer for more than $ 60 billion in 2018, has masked health risks on its weed killer Roundup’s labels. The agreement with the US plaintiffs also includes certain changes in the labeling of the product.
Bayer welcomed the settlement in a statement as a solution to the satisfaction of all parties. The competent court in Kansas City, Missouri, has yet to approve the compromise. The settlement was preceded by legal disputes in several federal court districts for more than two years.
However, there is no direct connection with the US lawsuit against Bayer because of alleged cancer risks from Monsanto weed killers like Roundup. Here, the settlement negotiations continued, but there is still no certainty about an agreement, the company said. Most recently, Bayer said it faced around 48,600 US lawsuits for alleged cancer risks.
In these cases, Bayer had lost the first three lawsuits in the United States and had received high damages judgments. However, the group wants to have the guilty verdicts set aside.
Comparative talks have been going on behind the scenes under the supervision of US star lawyer Ken Feinberg. Analysts expect an agreement that could cost Bayer around $ 10 billion.
