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The US Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear Bayer's appeal in an effort to block thousands of lawsuits claiming that its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer.

The high court will examine whether the Environmental Protection Agency's approval of Roundup without a cancer warning should prevent state court claims.

The case centers on John Durnell, a Missouri man who said he developed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after years of using Roundup.

A St. Louis jury awarded Durnell $1.25 million, and the Missouri Court of Appeals upheld the verdict.

Bayer argues that federal law protects it from state lawsuits because the EPA has approved Roundup labels without cancer warnings.

Bayer shares rose nearly 5% following the Supreme Court announcement. CEO Bill Anderson said the decision is "an important step in our multi-pronged strategy to significantly contain this litigation."

He added, "It is time for the US legal system to establish that companies should not be punished under state laws for complying with federal warning label requirements."

The company faces roughly 181,000 claims, mostly from residential users, AP News reported.

While Bayer has stopped selling Roundup containing glyphosate in the US lawn and garden market, it remains in agricultural products used with genetically modified crops such as corn, soybeans, and cotton.

The company has warned it may remove glyphosate from the agricultural market if litigation continues.

Bayer Seeks Supreme Court Shield

According to the NYPost, Bayer acquired Roundup as part of its $63 billion purchase of Monsanto in 2018.

Since then, it has paid about $10 billion to settle earlier lawsuits but has struggled to resolve ongoing claims.

Some studies have linked glyphosate, Roundup's active ingredient, to cancer, though the EPA has repeatedly concluded that glyphosate is "not likely to be carcinogenic in humans" when used as directed.

The Trump administration filed a brief in support of Bayer's appeal, backing the company's argument that federal law preempts state lawsuits.

The administration stated that EPA-approved labels should shield the company from liability. In contrast, lawyers for Durnell argued that Bayer's marketing, not just the label, failed to warn consumers about potential cancer risks.

Environmental groups criticized the move, warning that the Supreme Court review could deny victims their day in court.

Lori Ann Burd, environmental health director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said, "It's a sad day in America when our highest court agrees to consider depriving thousands of Roundup users suffering from cancer of their day in court."

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