The United States Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Bayer, the manufacturer of the Roundup weedkiller, in a decision expected to block thousands of lawsuits alleging the company failed to warn that the product could cause cancer.
In a 7-2 ruling, the high court found that the company cannot face failure-to-warn lawsuits in state courts because federal regulations have determined a cancer link is unlikely and do not require a warning label. The ruling overturns a Missouri jury verdict awarding $1.25 million to John Durnell, who claimed he developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma after years of exposure to glyphosate in Roundup.
Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh, writing for the majority, stated that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has concluded glyphosate does not cause cancer and has not required a cancer warning on Roundup. The Trump administration had backed Bayer in the case.
Bayer shares jumped nearly 18% following the ruling. However, the decision could be politically tricky, as allies in the “Make America Healthy Again” movement seek to rein in pesticide use.
Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, joined by conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch in dissent, called the ruling “remarkable and regrettable,” saying it “unjustifiably closes the courthouse doors to state tort plaintiffs like Durnell.”
Bayer acquired Monsanto, the original producer of Roundup, in 2018 for $63 billion. More than 100,000 plaintiffs have filed cases alleging a cancer link. Bayer had argued that the lawsuits threatened its ability to supply the herbicide to farmers.
Environmental activists criticized the ruling. “Once again, the Supreme Court has sided with big business over people and the environment,” said Tarah Heinzen, legal director at Food and Water Watch.
The dispute centers on the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), which governs pesticide labeling and bars states from imposing differing requirements. Bayer argued that Durnell’s claims were preempted by this law.
Union Investment fund manager Markus Manns called the ruling a significant milestone for Bayer, stating that after a decade since the Monsanto acquisition, the company is “entering a new era.”
Source: www.aljazeera.com