(Bloomberg) — Bayer AG failed to settle outstanding U.S. Roundup lawsuits by Monday, the deadline set by a judge who has said he’ll resume federal trials over claims the weedkiller caused consumers’ cancer.
Ahead of its release of an earnings statement Tuesday, Bayer disclosed in a court filing that 1,861 cases out of about 3,787 lawsuits aren’t controlled by agreements with plaintiffs’ lawyers. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco, who is overseeing all Roundup suits filed in federal courts, warned the company in September that he will move at full speed to set trials after keeping cases on hold for months to allow for negotiations. The company is scheduled to appear before the judge again on Nov. 9.
The missed deadline is important because settling the Roundup suits and preventing them from going to trial is a central component of the company’s attempt to…