In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a division of the World Health Organization, classified  glyphosate , the active ingredient in Roundup, as a possible carcinogen. While this is not the first product that presents a risk of cancer to users, the Roundup cases are unique because so many people have been exposed to the product. Since the discovery that Roundup may cause cancer, there have been thousands of product liability lawsuits filed against Bayer, the German manufacturing giant. Bayer purchased Monsanto, the company that initially created and marketed Roundup, in 2018.

These product liability claims seek to hold the company accountable for tragic effects caused by its herbicide, which the company did not disclose to consumers. Over the past few years, several of these cases went to trial, resulting in multi-million-dollar verdicts, totaling over $2 billion to date.

According to a recent news  report , Bayer has shown an interest in settling these Roundup cases, which are approximately 18,000 in number. Evidently, Bayer initially proposed a settlement range between $6 and $8 billion. However, the plaintiffs’ attorneys are requesting upwards of $10 billion before their clients will settle their claims. Although the mediator presiding over the case told reporters that there had been no official talks put on the record, it seems that the parties are nearing an agreement. Recently, an upcoming trial date was pushed back by agreement so that the parties could continue to discuss settlement options.

Any settlement agreement in the Bayer cases may still be far off, however, because the two sides have yet to agree on how to compensate individuals who have been exposed to Roundup but not yet contracted an illness. One possible resolution would