The judge called the proposal “unreasonable,” and said that the proposal provides services to the Monsanto company that Bayer acquired in 2018, while reducing the number of Roundup users.

A U.S. judge rejected Bayer’s $2 billion class action proposal to settle future lawsuits alleging that its Roundup herbicide causes cancer. In his order on Wednesday, he said that certain parts of the plan were “obviously unreasonable”. .

U.S. District Court Judge Vince Chhabria of San Francisco stated that the proposal “will bring a lot of achievements to Monsanto”. Bayer acquired the proposal for $63 billion in 2018. “Yes. For the current healthy Roundup users, achievements will be greatly reduced.”

The agreement will suspend the lawsuit linking Roundup to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) for four years, and will prohibit Roundup users from seeking punitive damages after the suspension of the lawsuit expires.

In return, if a user is diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, they are eligible for free medical examinations and compensation.

The proposed class action settlement is aimed at people who have been exposed to herbicides and who will get sick in the future.

In addition, Bayer has pledged to invest up to 9.6 billion U.S. dollars to settle claims for existing diseases caused by glyphosate, the main active ingredient of Roundup. The company’s chief executive told analysts this month that 90,000 existing claims have been resolved, and 30,000 are still under negotiation.

The company said that decades of research have shown that Roundup and glyphosate are safe for human use. Bayer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the judge’s decision.

‘Do not close’

Bayer has been criticized by consumer advocates for its efforts to add warning labels to Roundup or withdraw it from the herbicide market. In addition to other glyphosate products, Bayer has always been dominant.

Chhabria (Chhabria) has proposed a warning label that may provide a way to prevent future lawsuits based on Bayer’s failure to warn consumers of the connection between Roundup and cancer.

Bayer referred to the class action settlement proposal as one of the “basis” for “providing closure” in the Roundup litigation.

Leslie Brueckner, a public justice lawyer who opposed the proposal, said the ruling is important to public health and said that the risk of major punitive damages could force Bayer to make changes.

She said that Chhabria’s ruling means that the company is facing ongoing litigation.

Brueckner said: “As long as Roundup remains on the market, Bayer will continue to be sued by Roundup victims who have obtained the NHL.” “This means there is no closure.”

The four-year plan will potentially classify millions of residential users and farm workers into one category and provide them with physical examinations. If they are diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, they can receive up to $200,000. .

Given the 10- to 15-year lag time between exposure and the onset of underlying cancer symptoms, Chhabria’s six-page order cast doubt on the value of medical examinations.

He also said that most claimants may expect to receive compensation of US$60,000 or less, and that compensation may not be available after the plan expires.

The lawyers of the class said at the hearing last week that Bayer could extend the agreement and provide additional compensation.

The judge also questioned how the health of Roundup users can be adequately addressed in the future if they suffer from NHL, which may limit their lives.

Jabriya said: “Just making adjustments will not save the agreement.”