In a significant legal setback for Roundup plaintiffs, a Missouri jury has delivered a unanimous verdict in favour of Monsanto, rejecting design defect, fraud and negligence claims brought by three plaintiffs in the first trial since a landmark US Supreme Court ruling reshaped the litigation landscape.

 

The jury ruled in Monsanto's favour on all three claims pursued by the plaintiffs — design defect, fraud and negligence. Their failure-to-warn claims had already been preempted following the Supreme Court's ruling in Durnell.

 

The verdict marks an important test of the legal arguments available to Roundup plaintiffs after the Supreme Court significantly narrowed the scope of litigation against the agrochemical giant.

 

“We are pleased with the jury’s favorable verdict for Monsanto validating our belief that there is no evidence to prove design defect, fraud or negligence claims in the Roundup litigation,” said Bill Dodero, U.S. General Counsel and Global Head of Litigation. 

 

“This verdict should send a strong signal that plaintiffs who wish to pursue claims in the court system following the Durnell ruling will face significant challenges both in demonstrating they have viable claims and putting forth the necessary evidence to prove them in court.”

 

In June 2026, the US Supreme Court delivered a landmark ruling in the Durnell Roundup case, holding that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) expressly preempts state-law failure-to-warn claims where the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made a definitive determination on product safety.

 

Failure-to-warn allegations have been a central pillar of the sprawling Roundup litigation. With that avenue of legal action preempted, the Aretino plaintiffs pursued alternative claims centred on alleged design defects and negligence.

 

The Missouri verdict is the first time a jury has assessed the evidence supporting these claims at trial in the post-Durnell legal landscape.

 

The company has also reaffirmed its position on the safety of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup-based herbicides.

 

Glyphosate remains among the most extensively studied agricultural chemicals in history, Monsanto said, pointing to the scientific evidence and regulatory assessments worldwide that support the safety of glyphosate-based herbicides when used according to label instructions.

 

The US EPA has repeatedly determined that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic and has approved Roundup product labels without cancer warnings.

 

Monsanto said it would continue defending the safety of its glyphosate-based products, describing them as essential agricultural tools relied upon by farmers to produce affordable food and support global food supplies.