Bayer has released a statement that the company’s October 15, 2019 trial for the Winston v. Monsanto case is postponed. The case was to be heard in St. Louis City, and is related to the company’s Roundup product.
The postponement is one of many to hit the company as of late as mediator Ken Feinberg attempts to negotiate settlements following a ruling in California last year. The ruling found that Monsanto should have warned consumers of the potential cancer risks relating to their herbicide’s main ingredient: glyphosate.
“With the change in the trial schedule and no trial dates set through the rest of the year, the appeals of the three completed trials will be a significant focus of the litigation in the months ahead,” Bayer said.
There are over 18,400 plaintiffs filing lawsuits against Bayer and other manufacturers for their glyphosate-based weed killers. The number of lawsuits continue to rise as more and more plaintiffs step forward with cancer diagnoses relating to the weed killer.
Bayer is facing their first lawsuit in Australia relating to their Roundup product. The plaintiff in the case was diagnosed with a form of leukemia. The lawsuit may spur additional lawsuits outside of the United States.
The plaintiff, 67-year-old Ross Wild, filed a lawsuit after he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Wild is an Australian farmer that used Roundup often. Australia is a major glyphosate consumer. A lawyer representing Mr. Wild claims that the firm has already lodged a similar case against Bayer in the country with about 100 additional people seeking potential litigation for similar medical conditions.
“Why should Australians be treated any differently to Americans,” asks his lawyer. He is seeking compensation for Mr. Wild, according to the complaint. Mr. Wild has been using Roundup since the mid-1970s and claims that the warnings on the bottle were inadequate.
