The Roundup Settlement Has Preliminary Approval — Final Approval Is Not Decided Yet
A proposed $7.25 billion settlement covering Roundup non-Hodgkin lymphoma claims received preliminary approval from a Missouri court on 4 March 2026. That is not the same as final approval, and no payments go out until final approval happens. The fairness hearing where a judge decides whether to approve the deal was originally set for 19 August 2026 and has been pushed to 14 September 2026. The deadline to opt out of the settlement, 21 August 2026, has already passed. This page walks through exactly where the case stands, what changes at the September hearing, and why the opt-out window closing matters even though nothing has been paid.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the Roundup Litigation Is About
The underlying claims allege that exposure to Roundup, a glyphosate-based weed killer made by Monsanto (now owned by Bayer), caused non-Hodgkin lymphoma in people who used the product, often over years of agricultural, landscaping or home use. Tens of thousands of individual lawsuits built up around that allegation before this settlement was proposed. The $7.25 billion figure covers a defined group of claims within that larger litigation — it is a negotiated resolution for the people it applies to, not a court finding that Roundup causes cancer, and not a resolution of every Roundup case in the country.
Case Details
The settlement was proposed in a Missouri state court, where preliminary approval was granted on 4 March 2026. A separate track of Roundup litigation continues in the federal MDL and in other state courts and is not resolved by this settlement.
Where the Settlement Stands Right Now
Preliminarily approved, not finally approved. On 4 March 2026, a Missouri court granted preliminary approval to the proposed $7.25 billion Roundup settlement, which had been filed on 17 February 2026. Preliminary approval is the step where a judge agrees the settlement is worth putting in front of the people it covers — it clears the way for notice to go out and for people to decide whether to stay in or opt out. It is not the court's final sign-off, and it does not release any money.
The fairness hearing has been pushed back. The hearing where the judge is asked to grant final approval was originally scheduled for 19 August 2026. It has now been postponed to 14 September 2026. A judge in Missouri granted a joint request from the parties for the continuance, so they could work through a dispute over whether certain opt-out submissions were validly filed. Nothing about that dispute changes the settlement amount or the eligibility criteria — it is a procedural question about which opt-outs count, and it is the reason final approval has not happened yet.
The opt-out deadline has already passed. The date by which someone could choose to leave this settlement and pursue their own claim separately was 21 August 2026 — itself a date that had already been moved once. That window is closed now. If you were weighing whether to opt out, that decision point is behind us; the settlement's fate at this point is decided by the court process, not by individual choice.
No money has been paid out. That is true for everyone covered by this settlement, regardless of where their individual claim stands. Final approval at (or after) the September hearing is a required step before any distribution begins.
What Final Approval Would Actually Decide
It helps to be precise about what "preliminary" and "final" approval each mean, because the difference is exactly what's still open here.
- Preliminary approval (already granted, 4 March 2026) means a judge reviewed the proposed settlement terms and agreed they were reasonable enough to send out for notice and objections. It is a green light to move the process forward — not a judgment that every term is fair to every claimant, and not a release of funds.
- Final approval (not yet decided, hearing now set for 14 September 2026) is where the judge considers objections, reviews how notice and the opt-out process went, resolves disputes like the one over opt-out validity that caused this postponement, and then decides whether to approve the settlement as final and binding on the people who did not opt out.
Until that final approval happens, the settlement is not locked in. It is possible for a court to require changes before granting final approval, though nothing in the public record suggests that is where this case is heading — the postponement so far is specifically about the opt-out dispute, not about the settlement terms themselves.
For anyone who did not opt out by 21 August 2026, no further action is required to remain part of the settlement while the court process plays out. There is nothing to file and nothing to submit right now.
What the Settlement Amounts Mean — and What Comes Off the Top
Reported individual payouts under this settlement range from roughly $6,000 to $165,000. Claims evaluated under the settlement's point system — which accounts for factors like diagnosis type, exposure history and other case specifics — can reach a higher standard maximum, reported at around $198,000.
Those figures describe the range of gross settlement awards, not what lands in any individual's bank account. Attorney's fees, medical liens and other case-related deductions come out of a settlement payment before it reaches the claimant. How much comes off depends on each person's individual fee arrangement and any outstanding medical liens tied to their treatment — there is no single number that applies across every claim. Anyone estimating what they'd personally receive should treat the published range as a starting point for the gross award, not the final number.
It's also worth separating this settlement from the litigation as a whole. Outside of this $7.25 billion deal, Monsanto has separately settled roughly 100,000 Roundup lawsuits over time, paying out approximately $11 billion across those resolutions. Around 61,000 Roundup lawsuits remain actively pending outside this settlement. This settlement is one resolution among several, not the entire Roundup litigation.
How the Settlement Reached This Point
- 1
17 February 2026 — the $7.25 billion settlement is filed
A proposed settlement covering Roundup non-Hodgkin lymphoma claims, valued at $7.25 billion, is submitted to a Missouri court for review.
- 2
4 March 2026 — preliminary approval granted
The Missouri court grants preliminary approval, clearing the way for notice to go out to covered claimants and for the opt-out and objection process to begin. This is not final approval and does not release funds.
- 3
25 June 2026 — the Supreme Court rules in Monsanto Co. v. Durnell
The U.S. Supreme Court rules 7-2 in favor of Monsanto, holding that federal pesticide law (FIFRA) preempts a state-law failure-to-warn claim. The decision does not resolve this settlement directly, but it narrows the legal footing for individual Roundup lawsuits going forward, which is one reason a negotiated settlement has become a more attractive option for many claimants than pursuing an individual case.
- 4
19 August 2026 — the original date for the fairness hearing
The hearing where a judge would consider final approval of the settlement is originally calendared for this date.
- 5
21 August 2026 — the opt-out deadline passes
The deadline for claimants to opt out of the settlement and preserve the right to pursue an individual claim separately — itself a date that had already been extended once — comes and goes. That window is now closed.
- 6
The fairness hearing is postponed to 14 September 2026
A Missouri judge grants a joint motion from the parties to continue the fairness hearing, specifically to allow time to resolve a dispute over whether certain opt-out submissions were validly filed. The settlement terms and payout ranges are not reported to have changed.
- 7
14 September 2026 — final approval hearing (upcoming)
The rescheduled hearing where the court will consider final approval. Until this hearing happens and a ruling is issued, the settlement remains preliminarily — not finally — approved, and no distributions can begin.
What to Watch Out For While This Is Pending
A settlement sitting between preliminary and final approval, with real dollar figures already public, is a period when it's easy for outdated or misleading claims to circulate. These are the specific things worth checking here.
"The settlement is final — payments are going out"
As of the rescheduled 14 September 2026 hearing, final approval has not been granted. No payments have been distributed under this settlement to anyone. Any message, call or ad suggesting checks are already being issued is describing a step that hasn't happened.
"You can still opt out"
The opt-out deadline was 21 August 2026, and it has already passed. Anyone offering to help file an opt-out now, or suggesting that window is still open, is either mistaken or working from outdated information.
Treating the top-line payout figure as what you'll receive
The $165,000 to $198,000 range describes the higher end of gross settlement awards before attorney's fees and medical liens are deducted, not a guaranteed take-home amount for any individual claim. A pitch that quotes the top number as "what you'll get" is skipping the part of the process that determines an actual net payout.
Common Questions
Has the Roundup settlement received final approval?
No. The settlement received preliminary approval from a Missouri court on 4 March 2026. Final approval has not been granted. The fairness hearing where the court will consider final approval was originally set for 19 August 2026 and has been postponed to 14 September 2026.
Why was the fairness hearing postponed?
A Missouri judge granted a joint motion from the parties to move the hearing from 19 August to 14 September 2026, specifically so they could resolve a dispute over whether certain opt-out submissions were validly filed. The postponement is about that procedural question, not about the settlement's dollar amount or eligibility terms.
Can I still opt out of the settlement?
No. The opt-out deadline was 21 August 2026, and it has passed. That deadline had itself already been extended once before it closed. If you did not submit an opt-out by that date, the option to opt out of this particular settlement is no longer available.
Has any money been paid out under this settlement?
No. No distributions have been made under this settlement. Payment cannot begin until the court grants final approval, which is now scheduled to be considered at the 14 September 2026 hearing at the earliest.
How much will I actually receive from the Roundup settlement?
Reported individual payouts range from about $6,000 to $165,000, with claims evaluated through the settlement's point system able to reach roughly $198,000 at the standard maximum. Those are gross figures before attorney's fees, medical liens and other case-specific deductions, which reduce what any individual claimant actually receives. There is no single net figure that applies to everyone.
What did the Supreme Court's Monsanto v. Durnell decision change?
On 25 June 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of Monsanto in Monsanto Co. v. Durnell, holding that federal pesticide labeling law (FIFRA) preempts a state-law failure-to-warn claim. The ruling doesn't apply directly to this settlement, but it makes the legal path for pursuing an individual Roundup lawsuit narrower going forward, which is part of why a negotiated settlement has become a more attractive route for many claimants than litigating individually. This is a factual description of the ruling's effect, not legal advice about any specific case.
Is this the only Roundup settlement?
No. Separate from this $7.25 billion settlement, Monsanto has resolved roughly 100,000 Roundup lawsuits over time through other settlements, paying out approximately $11 billion in total. Around 61,000 Roundup lawsuits remain actively pending outside of this settlement, in the federal MDL and in other courts.
What happens at the 14 September 2026 hearing?
The court will consider whether to grant final approval to the settlement, including resolving the dispute over opt-out validity that caused the postponement from 19 August. If the court grants final approval at or after that hearing, the settlement becomes binding on the claimants who remained in it, and the process of setting up distribution can move forward. Until then, no timeline for actual payments has been established.
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