Supreme Court Shields Roundup Claims From State Lawsuit Liability

In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court held that federal pesticide law FIFRA preempts state tort claims against Monsanto (now Bayer) over Roundup’s cancer risks, effectively blocking thousands of lawsuits by individuals who say exposure caused non-Hodgkin lymphoma, because the EPA-approved label must be used and it does not carry a cancer warning. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the majority, with Justices Jackson and Gorsuch dissenting. The ruling was welcomed by the company and the Trump administration, helped push Bayer shares up about 17%, and could extend preemption to other industries, according to critics who warn it weakens state consumer-protection laws. The case originated from a Missouri verdict; the EPA has not classified glyphosate as harmful.