The Effects of Class-Action Lawsuits on California Glyphosate Usage

Abstract A slate of class action lawsuits has been filed in California against Monsanto (and now Bayer), alleging that exposure to glyphosate, an active herbicide, has caused non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in people. The current litigation may create liability risks for stakeholders continuing to use glyphosate. We estimate the impact of litigation on glyphosate use in California by leveraging the court rulings awarding damages as a natural experiment. Our findings suggest that glyphosate usage in California has fallen substantially in the wake of these lawsuits. Decisions in the courtroom regarding glyphosate users’ health risks are already having a decreasing effect on pesticide use decisions in the real world.