Bayer AG’s federal court cases in the U.S. about the Roundup weedkiller have been pushed back at the request of mediator Ken Feinberg, signaling that a settlement could be near.
Judge Vince Chhabria issued an order extending all deadlines in the federal multidistrict litigation in San Francisco by 28 days …. According to [a] litigation analyst, the odds of a near term settlement announcement have increased “significantly” with the news. The fact that all multi-district litigation activity has been halted by the judge should be seen as a “clear indication that the parties are very close to a resolution”.
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In mid-January, [Kenneth] Feinberg, the lead mediator for the cases, indicated settlement deals resolving as many as 85,000 Roundup claims in the U.S. may be reached within a month.. At least a half-dozen trials scheduled to start [in Feb. and March 2020] have been put on hold.