A Husch Blackwell litigation team helped secure a complete defense verdict for Monsanto Company in Aretino v. Monsanto, the first Roundup case to reach a jury verdict following the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Monsanto v. Durnell. On October 29, 2026, a Missouri jury unanimously found for Monsanto on all claims of design defect, negligence, and fraud after a five-week trial.
The three plaintiffs, all Florida women, alleged that exposure to Roundup caused their various subtypes of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The case was tried before Judge Brian May in St. Louis County, Missouri. Monsanto’s defense emphasized the science – including epidemiological, animal and genotoxicity studies all showing no correlation between Roundup use and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Jurors returned their verdict after brief deliberations following closing arguments.
Husch Blackwell’s work spanned nearly two years of plaintiff and fact-witness development, legal research, and trial writing. Husch Blackwell partner Erik Hansell served on the trial team alongside Sidley.
The Husch Blackwell team also included attorneys Tim Larkin, Kate Dickenson, Ciara Harper, Andrew German, Jason Smathers, Sarah Christopher, Lazaro Aguiar, Daniel Esquivel, and Luke Hemmerla, and paralegals Marissa Siemer, Lisa Schroeder, and Brandon VanOss.
For further information, please refer to the Bayer news release.