The Steady Drip

Supreme Court Scales Back Roundup Cancer Lawsuits (Connecting the Dots: Bayer, The U.S. Supreme Court, The EPA, The FDA, The Monsanto Company & The Carnegie/Soros Network)

Newsmax.com

Thursday, 25 June 2026 10:27 AM EDT

https://www.newsmax.com/us/supreme-court-bayer-roundup/2026/06/25/id/1260854/

The U.S. Supreme Court reined in thousands of lawsuits pursued in state courts accusing Bayer of failing to warn users that the active ingredient in its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, handing a major legal victory on Thursday to the German company.

The justices in a 7-2 decision overturned a jury verdict in Missouri awarding $1.25 million to a man named John Durnell who said he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after years of exposure to glyphosate in Roundup.

The Supreme Court agreed with Bayer that ‌a U.S. law that governs pesticides precludes failure-to-warn claims that are brought under state law from moving forward in court.

President Donald Trump's administration backed Bayer in the case.

Bayer acquired Roundup as part of its $63 billion purchase of agrochemical company Monsanto in 2018. More than 100,000 plaintiffs have filed cases in U.S. state and federal courts alleging a cancer link, and the German drugmaking and crop science ⁠company had said that the lawsuits could threaten its ability to supply the herbicide to farmers.

The torrent of litigation already prompted Bayer to remove glyphosate from its consumer version of Roundup. Bayer said before the Supreme Court ruled that a decision in its favor could largely end the Roundup ⁠litigation.

The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case in April.

"The U.S. Supreme Court decision is good for science, farmers, and industries that depend on regulatory clarity for innovation. It should help significantly contain the Roundup litigation after nearly a decade of legal battles. The ruling should result in the dismissal of current warning-based claims and bar future failure-to-warn claims," company spokesperson Tino Andresen ‌said in a statement.

The company emphasized throughout the litigation that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency repeatedly found that glyphosate does not cause cancer and approved its product ‌labels without a warning.

Facing billions of dollars in potential liability, Bayer announced in February a proposed $7.25 billion settlement to resolve tens of thousands of current and future lawsuits. The settlement would not affect claims that stem from pending appeals or ‌that fall outside the deal, according to the company. Those amount to nearly $1 billion, it said.

The sprawling dispute centers on a U.S. law called the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, or FIFRA, that governs the sale and labeling of pesticides and bars states from imposing differing or ⁠additional requirements.

The measure prohibits pesticides that are "misbranded" with labels that lack ‌an adequate warning to protect health and the environment.

Bayer has ⁠argued that Durnell's claims are preempted by this law. The EPA has repeatedly approved labels without such a cancer warning, demonstrating that these products are not misbranded, the company said, adding that ⁠labels cannot be substantially ⁠changed without the agency's approval.

Durnell's lawyers said that despite the EPA's registration of Roundup, the label may still be challenged as misbranded. They also said Durnell's claims are not preempted because Missouri state law that ‌requires products to adequately warn of dangers imposes the same requirements as FIFRA's prohibition on misbranding.

Durnell sued Monsanto in Missouri state court in 2019, claiming it failed to warn users of the dangers associated with Roundup and glyphosate.

He was diagnosed with a rare and often aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that starts in the ‌white blood cells, and attributed the disease to his exposure to ‌Roundup starting in 1996.

For about 20 years he was the "spray guy" for a neighborhood association in St. Louis, killing weeds at local parks without protective equipment, according to court papers.

A jury sided with Durnell in 2023, and in 2025 a state appeals court upheld that verdict.

Some activists with the "Make America Healthy Again" movement that backs Trump's Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr have criticized the Trump administration's support for Bayer. Also backing Bayer in the case were a number of crop farming and agricultural industry groups. Several environmental, farm worker and public health groups ‌backed Durnell.

Connecting the Dots:

George H. Poste is a director at the Monsanto Company and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (think tank).

Robert J. Stevens is a director at the Monsanto Company and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (think tank).

George Soros is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (think tank), the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, was a supporter for the Center for American Progress and the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Open Society Foundations was a funder at the Center for American Progress.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Center for American Progress and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Ted Lieu was honored with the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Great Immigrants Award, has represented California's 36th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2023 and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Astrid S. Tuminez was a program officer at the Carnegie Corporation of New York and is the 7th President of the Utah Valley University (Charlie Kirk Shooting).

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Center for American Progress and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Ezekiel Emanuel is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, was a faculty member at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the health care policy adviser at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for the Barack Obama administration.

Carol M. Browner is a director, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and was the energy czar for the Barack Obama administration.

Tom Daschle is a director at the Center for American Progress and was the nominee for health and human services secretary for the Barack Obama administration.

Lawrence H. Summers is a distinguished fellow at the Center for American Progress and was the National Economic Council chairman for the Barack Obama administration.

Cassandra Q. Butts was the SVP for the Center for American Progress and the deputy White House counsel for the Barack Obama administration.

Philip J. Crowley was the director of homeland security at the Center for American Progress and the assistant secretary of state for the Barack Obama administration.

Derek Douglas was an associate director of economic policy at the Center for American Progress and a special assistant for urban affairs for the Barack Obama administration.

Bradley J. Kiley was a VP for the Center for American Progress and the director of management and administration for the Barack Obama administration.

Karen Kornbluh was a visiting scholar at the Center for American Progress and a policy director for Barack Obama.

Jeanne Lambrew was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and the deputy assistant to the president for health policy for the Barack Obama administration.

Denis McDonough was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and the chief of staff; former deputy national security adviser for the Barack Obama administration.

Esther M. Olavarria was the director of immigration policy at the Center for American Progress and the deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for the Barack Obama administration.

Dan Restrepo was the Americas Project director at the Center for American Progress and a special assistant to the president for the Barack Obama administration.

Gene B. Sperling was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and the assistant to the president for economic policy for the Barack Obama administration.

Todd Stern was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and the special envoy for climate change at the U.S. Department of State for the Barack Obama administration.

Melody C. Barnes was the EVP for the Center for American Progress, the domestic policy council, director for the Barack Obama administration and Barack Obama’s golf partner.

Ezekiel Emanuel is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, Rahm I. Emanuel’s brother and was the health care policy adviser for the Barack Obama administration.

Carol M. Browner is a senior fellow, director at the Center for American Progress, was the energy czar for the Barack Obama administration, and an administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Stephanie Daigle was an associate administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is a senior policy adviser at Crowell & Moring.

Crowell & Moring was the lobby firm for Bayer CropScience.

Bayer CropScience is a subsidiary of Bayer AG.

Bayer HealthCare is a subsidiary of Bayer AG.

Sidley Austin LLP is the lobby firm for Bayer HealthCare and was the lobby firm for the Monsanto Company.

Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.

Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.

R. Eden Martin was counsel at Sidley Austin LLP and is the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Newton N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and an honorary trustee at the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Cameron F. Kerry is a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), John F. Kerry’s brother and a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.

Robert A. Helman was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), is a partner at Mayer Brown and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

William M. Daley is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, was a partner at Mayer Brown and the chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration.

Mayer Brown was the lobby firm for the Bayer Corporation.

Bayer Corporation is the North American subsidiary of Bayer AG.

Klaus Kleinfeld is a director at Bayer AG and a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle and a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP.

Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP is the lobby firm for the Monsanto Company.

Valerie B. Jarrett is Vernon E. Jordan Jr’s great niece, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the senior adviser for the Barack Obama administration.

Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

John Edward Porter was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and is the chair for Research!America.

John R. Seffrin is a director at Research!America and the CEO for the American Cancer Society.

Mark B. McClellan is a director at Research!America, was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Michael R. Taylor is the deputy commissioner for foods for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was the VP for public policy at the Monsanto Company.

Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP is the lobby firm for the Monsanto Company.

Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and the president of the Economic Club of Washington.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

David M. Rubenstein is the co-chairman for the Brookings Institution (think tank), the president of the Economic Club of Washington, a regent at the Smithsonian Institution, Joe Biden spent Thanksgiving with him and was a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.

Jane Sullivan Roberts was a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP and is married to John G. Roberts Jr.

John G. Roberts Jr. is married to Jane Sullivan Roberts, the chief justice for the U.S. Supreme Court, the chancellor for the Smithsonian Institution and an honorary member of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club (Gainesville, VA).

Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is the president emeritus for the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club (Gainesville, VA), an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and was the president of the Economic Club of Washington.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Shirley Ann Jackson is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a regent at the Smithsonian Institution.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and the Smithsonian Institution.

Ann M. Fudge is the U.S. program advisory panel chair for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

David M. Rubenstein is the co-chairman for the Brookings Institution (think tank), the president of the Economic Club of Washington, a regent at the Smithsonian Institution, Joe Biden spent Thanksgiving with him and a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.

Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) is the president emeritus for the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club (Gainesville, VA), a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle and was the president of the Economic Club of Washington.

Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP is the lobby firm for the Monsanto Company.

Valerie B. Jarrett is Vernon E. Jordan Jr’s great niece, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the senior adviser for the Barack Obama administration.

R. Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago and was counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.

Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.

Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.

Sidley Austin LLP is the lobby firm for Bayer HealthCare and was the lobby firm for the Monsanto Company.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Cameron F. Kerry is a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), John F. Kerry’s brother and a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.

Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (think tank).

George H. Poste is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (think tank) and a director at the Monsanto Company.

Robert J. Stevens is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (think tank) and a director at the Monsanto Company.

Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP is the lobby firm for the Monsanto Company.

Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) is the president emeritus for the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club (Gainesville, VA), Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, a life trustee at the Urban Institute (think tank) and was the president of the Economic Club of Washington.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and the Urban Institute (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

William D. Ruckelshaus is a life trustee at the Urban Institute (think tank) and was an administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Warren E. Buffett is a life trustee at the Urban Institute (think tank) and an adviser at the Nuclear Threat Initiative (think tank).

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Nuclear Threat Initiative (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Margaret A. Hamburg is the VP for the Nuclear Threat Initiative (think tank), David A. Hamburg’s daughter and was the commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Michael R. Taylor is the deputy commissioner for foods for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was the VP for public policy at the Monsanto Company.

David A. Hamburg is Margaret A. Hamburg’s father, an adviser for the Nuclear Threat Initiative (think tank) and the president emeritus for the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

William A. Nitze is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and an assistant administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

James S. Crown is the vice chairman for the Aspen Institute (think tank) and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Lester Crown was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

R. Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago and was counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.

Sidley Austin LLP is the lobby firm for Bayer HealthCare and was the lobby firm for the Monsanto Company.

Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.

Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.

Newton N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and an honorary trustee at the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Cameron F. Kerry is a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), John F. Kerry’s brother and a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.

Klaus Kleinfeld is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a director at Bayer AG.

Bayer Corporation is the North American subsidiary of Bayer AG.

Mayer Brown was the lobby firm for the Bayer Corporation.

William M. Daley was a partner at Mayer Brown, the chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Robert A. Helman is a partner at Mayer Brown, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Ted Lieu was honored with the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Great Immigrants Award, has represented California's 36th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2023 and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Astrid S. Tuminez was a program officer at the Carnegie Corporation of New York and is the 7th President of the Utah Valley University (Charlie Kirk Shooting).

Andrew Carnegie was the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Carnegie Corporation of New York was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a supporter for the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Larry D. Thompson is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and the EVP of governmental affairs, general counsel & secretary for PepsiCo, Inc.

Michael H. Jordan was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and the division chairman & CEO for PepsiCo, Inc.

Kimberly Cheatle served as Senior Director in Global Security at PepsiCo and the 27^th director for the U.S. Secret Service (She was in charge of the venue where President Trump was shot in Butler).

PepsiCo, Inc. was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, was a supporter for the Center for American Progress and the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.