Photo: nyker (Shutterstock)
Last month, a federal judge in California approved a $45 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit a group of consumers brought against Monsanto for promoting and selling Roundup and other weed killers without disclosing that they contain an ingredient that has the potential to cause cancer.
Now, anyone who purchased one or more of the products included in the lawsuit is eligible to claim part of the payout. Here’s how to see if you’re entitled to any money, and if so, what you need to do to get it.
Which products are included in the Monsanto settlement?
A total of 19 weed- and grass-killer products from three brands—Roundup, HDX, and Ace—were part of the class-action lawsuit that resulted in the $45 million settlement. Those products include:
Roundup® Ready-to-Use Weed & Grass Killer (all applicators)Roundup® Ready-to-Use Weed & Grass Killer Plus (all applicators)Roundup® Weed & Grass Killer Concentrate PlusRoundup® Weed & Grass Killer Super ConcentrateRoundup® Ready-to-Use Poison Ivy Plus Tough Brush KillerRoundup® Ready-to-Use Wild Blackberry Plus Vine and Brush KillerRoundup® Concentrate Poison Ivy Plus Tough Brush KillerRoundup® Concentrate Wild Blackberry Plus Vine and Brush KillerRoundup® Ready-to-Use Extended Control Weed & Grass Killer Plus Weed PreventerRoundup® Concentrate Extended Control Weed & Grass Killer Plus Weed PreventerRoundup® Ready-to-Use Max Control 365Roundup® Concentrate Max Control 365Roundup® Weed & Grass Killer Sure Shot FoamRoundup® Precision Gel Weed & Grass KillerRoundup® Pro Concentrate (2.5-gallon size)HDX® Weed & Grass Killer Ready-to-UseHDX® Weed & Grass Killer ConcentrateAce® Ready-to-Use Weed & Grass KillerAce® Weed & Grass Killer ConcentrateThese products were sold in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories at retailers including Home Depot, Walmart, Amazon, Target, Lowe’s, Ace Hardware, True Value, and others. Additional information and product images are available here.
Who is entitled to part of the settlement?
Anyone in the United States who purchased any size or variety of the products mentioned above for personal use (i.e., not for resale or distribution) during certain periods of time is eligible to file a claim. The designated dates of purchase—known as a “class period”—differs from state-to-state. You can look up the period for your state here.
If you’re not sure whether you’re eligible to make a claim, or have any other questions about the settlement, you can contact the claims administrator via email at info@WeedKillerAdSettlement.com, or by phone at 1-833-749-1489.
How much money will each person get in the settlement?
In short, it depends on how many of these weed-killing products you purchased, where you bought them, and whether you kept your receipts. It is estimated that the payment will range from $0.55 to $33 per unit purchased—or around 20% of the retail cost.
If you have a receipt or other proof of purchase—that identifies both the product and quantity purchased—there’s no limit to the number of products you can claim.
Those who have purchased Roundup or the other products included in the settlement and didn’t keep their receipts can claim one product per year during their state’s class period (with the exception of the three largest concentrated products).
But don’t expect a check right away: There’s one final hearing on the settlement scheduled to take place in January 2023. If the judge signs off on the payments, they would be sent out sometime after that.
How to file a claim
To file a claim, fill out this form. You’ll be asked to provide your contact information, proof of purchase or information about the product you purchased, the retail location of the purchase (including city and state), and the approximate date of your purchase. You have until Oct. 19, 2022 to file a claim.
