The Supreme Court sided with Monsanto in a 7-2 ruling that is expected to block thousands of lawsuits claiming Roundup should have carried a cancer warning.
The June 25 decision involved John Durnell, a Missouri man who said he developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after using Roundup for more than 20 years. AP reported that Durnell had won a $1.25 million verdict before the case reached the high court.
The Supreme Court held that federal pesticide law blocks state-law failure-to-warn claims when EPA has approved a label without the warning plaintiffs wanted.
For homeowners and gardeners, the ruling does not change how weed killers should be used in the yard. It decides who controls pesticide warning labels, not whether people should skip the directions on the bottle.
The Case Focused on Roundup’s Label
Roundup historically used glyphosate, one of the most widely known herbicide ingredients. AP reported that the decision is expected to affect thousands of lawsuits alleging Bayer, which now owns Monsanto, failed to warn users that Roundup could cause cancer.
The legal issue was federal preemption. Monsanto argued that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act does not allow states to impose pesticide-labeling requirements that differ from EPA-approved labels. The court agreed.
EPA and Health Advocates Still Disagree on Glyphosate
The EPA says glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans and that glyphosate products used according to label directions do not create risks of concern for adults or children.
AP reported that health and environmental advocates criticized the ruling, while Bayer said it provides regulatory clarity. The same report noted that the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic in 2015, while EPA reached a different conclusion.
The Ruling Does Not Replace Label Directions
EPA pesticide-label guidance says labels explain how to use a product safely, how to store it, first-aid instructions, and where to call for help.
Before spraying any herbicide, homeowners should read the current label, use only the listed application sites, follow protective-gear directions, keep children and pets away from treated areas as directed, and store products in their original containers.
Anyone using an older Roundup product or another glyphosate weed killer should check the exact label on that container. Product names, ingredients, and directions can change, and the legal ruling does not make label instructions optional.