What Roundup is and why it is in court
Roundup is a weed killer first sold by Monsanto, a company now owned by Bayer. Its main active ingredient is glyphosate (pronounced gly-FO-sate), a chemical that kills most plants it touches. It has been used on farms, in landscaping, along roads and in home gardens for decades.
Over the past decade, people have filed lawsuits claiming that years of using Roundup caused their non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Bayer denies that glyphosate causes cancer and says the product is safe when used as directed.
Who may be affected
The lawsuits mostly involve people who used Roundup often or for many years, such as farmers, farmworkers, landscapers, groundskeepers, nursery workers and home gardeners, and who were later diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Some families have filed claims after a loved one died.
How much and how long someone used the product often matters. The proposed settlement described below also looks at whether the exposure happened at home or at work.
The health concern: non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, often shortened to NHL, is a cancer of the lymphatic system, the network of glands and vessels that helps the body fight infection.
Scientists and regulators disagree about glyphosate. In 2015 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, classified it as "probably carcinogenic to humans," meaning probably able to cause cancer in people. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded in 2017 that glyphosate is "not likely to be carcinogenic to humans." The EPA is now updating its cancer review and expects to finish that work in late 2026.
An IARC rating describes whether something can cause cancer at some level of exposure, not how likely that is in everyday use.
Where things stand (as of October 2026)
On June 25, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in Monsanto Co. v. Durnell that federal pesticide law blocks state-law claims that Roundup's label should have carried a cancer warning the EPA had not required. Many lawsuits relied on that "failure to warn" theory, so the ruling narrowed the cases. Some claims continue on other theories, such as allegations that the product was defectively designed.
Separately, in February 2026 Bayer's Monsanto unit proposed a $7.25 billion nationwide class settlement in Missouri state court in St. Louis. It is meant to cover people who have already sued and people exposed before the deal who are diagnosed later. Reported payments range from about $10,000 to $165,000, depending on factors such as illness severity and age, paid out over as many as 21 years.
A judge gave the deal preliminary approval, an early go-ahead, in March 2026 and held a final approval hearing on September 14, 2026. As of late October 2026, no final decision had been reported in the sources checked.
Deadlines and what to gather
Every state sets a statute of limitations, a legal deadline for filing a lawsuit. These deadlines differ by state and by type of claim, and they can be short. Settlement programs also set their own registration and opt-out dates. Missing a deadline can end a claim, even a strong one.
- Records of your diagnosis and treatment, including pathology reports
- A list of where, when and how often you used Roundup or other glyphosate products
- Receipts, work records, spray logs or photos of containers
- Names of employers or coworkers who can confirm your use
- Any official notices you received about the class settlement
Talking to a lawyer
A licensed attorney who handles pesticide or product injury cases can explain whether the Supreme Court ruling affects your situation, whether you fall within the proposed class settlement and which deadlines apply. If you do not know a lawyer, your state bar's lawyer referral service can suggest one.
Many injury lawyers work on a contingency fee. The fee is a percentage of any money recovered, agreed in a written contract signed in advance, and if nothing is recovered there is usually no fee for the lawyer's time. Ask how case costs, such as records and expert reports, are handled.
