Bayer's Monsanto Confronts Over 67,000 Pending Glyphosate Lawsuits Amidst Corporate Influence Allegations

Bayer AG, the parent company of Monsanto, continues to face extensive legal challenges concerning its glyphosate-based herbicide, Roundup, with approximately 67,000 lawsuits still pending as of mid-2025. These ongoing legal battles are unfolding against a backdrop of persistent allegations regarding "corporate capture" and undue influence over regulatory processes, a sentiment recently highlighted by Twitter user Liz4SF, who stated, "> Corporate capture regarding monsanto pesticides @RFKJr_Official," tagging Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The litigation has already resulted in significant financial outlays, with Monsanto having reached settlement agreements in nearly 100,000 Roundup lawsuits, totaling over $11 billion. Despite these settlements, the company faces substantial pressure from recent large jury verdicts, including a $2.1 billion award in Georgia in March 2025 and a $2.25 billion verdict in Philadelphia in January 2024, later reduced to $400 million. Many of these verdicts are currently under appeal by Bayer.

Central to the lawsuits are claims that Monsanto actively suppressed information and influenced scientific discourse regarding Roundup's safety. Internal company documents, revealed through litigation, indicate efforts to ghostwrite scientific papers and manipulate regulatory assessments. This contrasts sharply with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans" in 2015, while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has generally maintained it is "not likely" to be carcinogenic.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent environmental advocate and current Health Secretary, has been a vocal critic of Monsanto and its practices, having been involved in early Roundup litigation. His "Make America Healthy Again" report in May 2025 further emphasized glyphosate as a potential contributor to chronic illnesses. In response to the mounting legal pressure, Bayer is actively lobbying state legislatures for laws that would protect pesticide companies from failure-to-warn lawsuits, and has even considered a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing for its Monsanto subsidiary to manage future liabilities.

The confluence of thousands of active lawsuits, substantial financial liabilities, and allegations of regulatory manipulation underscores the high stakes for Bayer. The company, which pulled glyphosate-based Roundup from U.S. retail shelves in 2023, continues to pursue a multi-pronged strategy of legal defense, appeals, and legislative advocacy, as the debate over product safety and corporate accountability remains at the forefront.