A Roundup cancer trial in St. Louis, Missouri, will not open on [Feb. 5] as expected, a court spokesman said [Feb. 3], fueling fresh speculation that a global settlement of tens of thousands of lawsuits brought by cancer victims against the former Monsanto Co. may be nearing resolution.
St. Louis City Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth Hogan issued the notification [Feb. 3], reversing word provided to jurors and media …. that they should plan for opening statements in the case to begin …. Broadcasters waiting to air the proceedings of the highly anticipated trial were told to pack up their equipment.
The St. Louis case, titled Wade v. Monsanto, involves four plaintiffs, including one woman whose husband died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Opening statements were initially expected Jan. 24, but were postponed to allow for lawyers for Monsanto’s German owner Bayer AG and lawyers for the plaintiffs to discuss settlement terms ….. Now, it is off indefinitely.
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Several trials have been pulled off the docket over the last several weeks as Bayer …. has drawn closer to a global settlement of the litigation. Bayer is looking to pay out roughly $10 billion in total to settle most, if not all, of the claims ….
