SUMMARY
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German chemical giant Bayer said on Friday, August 28, it had hit “bumps in the road” in efforts to settle United States lawsuits blaming its glyphosate weedkiller for causing cancer after a California judge raised concerns over the settlement.
Bayer announced an agreement in June worth more than $10 billion (8.4 billion euros) to settle some 125,000 claims in the US over the Roundup weedkiller it acquired after buying American agrochemical group Monsanto for $63 billion in 2018.
At a hearing on Thursday, August 27, US district judge Vince Chhabria said he was concerned that Bayer had “manipulated” the settlement process, according to Bloomberg News.
As a result, he threatened to allow the plaintiffs’ litigation process to restart, putting the whole deal at risk of collapse.
According to Bloomberg, the judge said he was concerned that by keeping the lawsuits on pause, “am I complicit in whatever shenanigans are taking place on the Bayer side?”
He is expected to make a decision over the next month.
Shares in Bayer fell more than 3% in early trading in Frankfurt on Friday, compared with a DAX 30 index that was down 0.2%.
“There are often some bumps in the road in implementing a resolution of this magnitude but we remain confident that a comprehensive settlement will be finalized and executed,” Bayer said in a statement.
Judge Chhabria’s concerns are the second legal setback for Bayer in its push to finally end the Roundup headache.
The same judge last month criticized Bayer’s $1.25-billion proposal to shut down future Roundup lawsuits, forcing the German giant to take another look at the plan.
Bayer would not be admitting any wrongdoing under the settlement packages.
In a separate case, Bayer this month agreed to pay $1.6 billion to settle nearly all claims in the US on birth control implant Essure, over allegations it had caused health issues.
Bayer reported a net loss of 9.55 billion euros in the 2nd quarter of 2020, which it said reflected the “exceptional impact” of the Roundup and Essure litigation. – Rappler.com
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