What’s Happening in Mass Tort Litigation in 2025?

This year, important actions will occur in a number of federal mass tort cases. These cases involve forever chemicals, social media, diet drugs, Bayer’s Roundup, preterm infant formula, ultra-processed foods, Depo Provera, and plastics. In some cases, mass tort lawsuits have survived a number of pretrial motions and will be going into further motion practice or to trial. Other legal issues, including the use of novel theories of law to establish companies’ liability, are making litigation this year complex and contentious. Give our attorneys a call, if you were harmed by any of the mentioned products. We represent clients across the country and billions have been recovered in lawsuits with which we’ve been involved.

Call Moll Law Group About Your Mass Tort Lawsuit

Mass torts are filed in civil court when there are many individual lawsuits against a defendant (or several defendants) for injuries arising out of the defendants’ similar acts or omissions against the various individuals suing. Often devastating injuries are involved.

Bayer’s Roundup Litigation

Over 50,000 claims have been made against Monsanto and Bayer, which acquired weedkiller Roundup when it purchased the former, for alleged defects in Roundup. The weedkiller’s active ingredient is glyphosate, which is carcinogenic. While Bayer did win most of the recent Roundup trials, there have also been verdicts that are collectively more than $1 billion, even in instances where they were reduced, which bodes poorly for the manufacturer. In 2020, Bayer settled certain Roundup cases for $10.9 billion, and it hopes to ask the Supreme Court to rule that federal law preempts these plaintiffs’ claims. However, many cases are still ongoing, and 2025 will likely see more trials, though it’s also possible another settlement will be reached.

Forever Chemicals Claims

Important litigation will also be ongoing (and likely will expand) in connection with forever chemicals, which are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which were used in a wide range of industries and in many consumer products, but which are now considered dangerous to people’s health. The major chemical companies producing these substances have settled with the U.S. However, many personal injury lawsuits were brought by individuals who were exposed to PFAS in firefighting foam. These claims have been centralized and the first bellwether trials will begin, even as additional kinds of claims, such as marketing defects claims, may be brought.

Social Media

Lawsuits alleging that social media has become a source of teen addiction and mental health problems like depression have been filed by families and school districts against major social media companies such as Meta, YouTube, Google, and TikTok. Novel theories are being used to pursue damages from social media companies—these are theories more commonly seen in tobacco and other toxic substance cases. This year in October, the first bellwether trials have been scheduled by a California judge who is overseeing the multidistrict litigation that centralizes most of the lawsuits. Another potential cause for litigation, in this same vein, is video game addiction.

Cow’s Milk-Based Infant Formula

Cow’s milk-based infant formula made by Abbott and Mead Johnson has been linked to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a fatal bowel disease. Taken to trial in 2024 were two cases that resulted in $60 million and $495 million verdicts. A third trial did result in a defense win, but the lead attorney for defendant Abbot was sanctioned for violating court orders. Nearly 1000 lawsuits remain pending, and these claims are likely to be expanded in the coming year as more people become aware of the potential harm to premature babies.

Ozempic and Other Diet Drugs

Manufacturers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have seen multidistrict litigation continue against them in connection with Ozempic and other diet drugs that are alleged to cause stomach paralysis. Last month, the United States Judicial Panel permitted another drug to be added to the existing Ozempic multidistrict litigation, but certain cases do focus on optic nerve injuries rather than stomach paralysis.

Ultra-processed Food

At the end of last year, an 18-year-old diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease sued food companies who make what he called “ultra-processed food” arguing that they engineered their food to be addictive and that it led to chronic disease. It’s not clear whether he has good grounds to bring the suit, but processed foods are very much under scrutiny and this year may allow us to see whether these kinds of claims could succeed and go forward in the future.

Consult Seasoned Chicago-based Lawyers of Moll Law Group

You likely assume that what you consume or use is safe. Unfortunately manufacturers are not always scrupulous about the safety of what they place on the market. If you were injured by one of the aforementioned products, call our knowledgeable Chicago-based product liability attorneys about your legal options. Please complete our online form or call us at 312.462.1700.