Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
A number of independent home improvement retailers who sell Roundup products have been sent letters from the settlement administrator in the past few weeks, asking for assistance in sharing information with customers who may potentially be impacted by the Roundup class settlement.
In February 2026, Monsanto, which manufactures Roundup, announced a proposed U.S. nationwide class settlement designed to resolve current and future Roundup claims alleging Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) injuries through a long-term claims program. In March, the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, Missouri granted preliminary approval of the settlement to resolve current and potential future Roundup claims alleging (NHL) injuries. To fund the class settlement, Monsanto will make declining capped annual payments for up to 21 years totaling up to $7.25 billion, following court approval.
The outreach is a normal part of a class action procedure where a settlement administrator leads the efforts to promote awareness to potential claimants around a class.
“Monsanto is taking the Roundup-related actions solely to contain the litigation, and the settlement agreements do not contain any admission of liability or wrongdoing,” says Brian Leake, director of external communications for Bayer, which owns Monsanto. “Indeed, leading regulators worldwide, including the U.S. EPA and EU regulatory bodies, continue to conclude based on an extensive body of science, that glyphosate-based herbicides—critical tools that farmers rely on to produce affordable food and feed the world—can be used safely and are not carcinogenic.”
The letters, which included posters in English and Spanish, asked retailers to hang the posters in their stores and share information about the settlement in customer emails and other outreach to reach customers potentially impacted by the settlement.
It’s up to each individual store owner whether or not they want to hang the posters or share the information, says Scott Reynolds, CEO of American Hardware & Lumber Insurance (AHLI).
“Retailers are under no obligation to assist anyone in identifying their customers, unless ordered by a legal authority,” Reynolds says.
In addition to the class settlement, on April 27, 2027, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Monsanto Company v. Durnell to decide if the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) preempts state-level “failure-to-warn” lawsuits against pesticide manufacturers. In the case, Monsanto argued that under FIFRA, they cannot be held liable for failure to warn if they comply with EPA-approved labeling. A decision from the court is expected in June.
Reynolds says a number of lawsuits have been filed against Roundup in the past few years, some including individual retailers.
“RoundUp lawsuits that have been filed thus far often name multiple defendants, including Monsanto, and individual dealers,” Reynolds says. “Our agency is aware of some of the lawsuits that have been filed thus far, and we note that, in general, Monsanto offers to provide defense and indemnity.”
The North American Hardware and Paint Association president Scott Wright says the association will continue to monitor the case and closely watch how it unfolds.
“We will use this daily news channel to report on any updates to the case or similar activity as it becomes available,” he says. “This was brought to our attention by our friends at American Hardware & Lumber Insurance. When the retailer received the letters and posters in the mail, they didn’t know what it exactly meant, so they did the right thing by contacting their insurance partner to find out if it was legitimate. Come to find out it is, but it’s completely optional, and retailers can do what they think is best for their specific situation.”
