"A class action settlement proposed in the nationwide Roundup litigation would award $675 million to lawyers who negotiated the settlement, while plaintiffs suffering from cancer would receive, on average, $10,000 to $165,000 each, according to a new court filing in the case.
The request for court approval was filed last week by lawyers from six firms who called the request “fair” and “reasonable” and achieved through “exceptional effort,” though multiple other lawyers who have been involved in the Roundup litigation since its inception oppose the terms of the settlement and question its fairness.
The details on the fee arrangement added fresh fodder for critics of the deal. Additionally, an order issued last week by a federal judge overseeing Roundup litigation cast doubt on the ability of the settlement to bind future potential plaintiffs to its terms.
For Bayer, the German conglomerate that bought Roundup maker Monsanto in 2018, the $7.25 billion settlement plan could be key to resolving the decade-long litigation, which has involved well over 100,000 claims brought by people alleging they developed cancer from exposure to herbicides such as Roundup made with the chemical glyphosate."
