"The high court reversed a California man's victory against Monsanto over the agricultural giant's failure to warn of Roundup's cancerous risks, dooming similar cases in the future."
"The Supreme Court on Tuesday tossed a $28 million ruling against agricultural biotech giant Monsanto, likely ending any future path for failure-to-warn claims over the herbicide Roundup.
“We are pleased with the court’s decision and will urge the California appellate court to vacate the verdict in this case,” a Monsanto spokesperson told Courthouse News.
Mike Dennis, a resident of Carlsbad, California, sued Monsanto — since acquired by Bayer — in San Diego Superior Court over product liability and fraud in 2021. He claims exposure to Roundup caused him to develop mycosis fungoides, a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
According to Dennis, Monsanto knew of Roundup’s carcinogenic risks and sold the product without sufficient warnings anyway, in violation of state law.
At trial, a jury found Monsanto liable for failing to warn Dennis of Roundup’s cancer risk, awarding him $332 million — $7 million in compensatory damages and $325 million in punitive damages.
While the court denied Monsanto’s subsequent request for a new trial, it eventually reduced the company’s punitive damages to $21 million in 2024, finding the original sum unconstitutionally excessive."
Jackson Healy reports for Courthouse News Service October 13, 2026.
