A lawsuit against Bayer for glyphosate is rejected by an Australian judge
**Bayer receives judicial support for glyphosate's alleged cancer-causing effect from an Australian court ruling. A judge dismissed a class action lawsuit against Bayer on Thursday, in which the company was accused of causing a certain type of blood cancer with its glyphosate-containing herbicide Roundup.
Judge Michael Lee of the Federal Court of Australia ruled that there was not enough evidence to prove that Roundup causes Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL). "In this proceeding, it has not been proven, by weighing the probabilities, that the use of Roundup products or exposure to Roundup products during the relevant period increased the risk of a person contracting NHL," Lee ruled.
The allegations against glyphosate have always been rejected by the Leverkusen pharmaceutical and agricultural conglomerate. Regulatory agencies worldwide have classified the herbicide as non-carcinogenic. However, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO) assessed the herbicide as "probably carcinogenic to humans" in 2015.
With the acquisition of glyphosate developer Monsanto, Bayer brought a wave of lawsuits into the house in the USA, which has been burdening the company for years. The number of filed claims has risen to around 3000 in total, with approximately 170,000 pending. Around 57,000 settlements have been reached. To date, Bayer has won 14 of 20 lawsuits, but has also had to pay high fines.**
The ruling by Judge Lee potentially lessens the possible negative effects of the Glyphosate-Class Action lawsuit on Bayer. Despite the IARC's classification, regulatory agencies globally continue to view glyphosate as non-carcinogenic, supporting Bayer's defense against these allegations.
