About the Bayer ADR Securities Class Action Lawsuit & Settlement
Bayer’s 2016 announcement of its intention to acquire Monsanto may have come as a surprise, given that the agrochemical company had been the topic of public scrutiny for years regarding its popular weed killer, Roundup. The controversy had culminated in 2015 when Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate, was classified as a “probable human carcinogen” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
Bayer and Monsanto quickly found themselves in a flood of lawsuits as plaintiffs alleged their cancers were caused by the herbicide. The first major jury award in favor of a plaintiff—initially $298 million—came in 2018, the same year Bayer formally acquired Monsanto.
With the litigation only growing, Bayer investors were reportedly reluctant to continue funding the pharmaceutical giant. A 2020 class action lawsuit between Sheet Metal Workers National Pension Fund and Bayer Aktiengesellschaft claims that Bayer executives minimized Roundup’s litigation risk with false and misleading statements to sustain financial support. Many investors went on to purchase more American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) in the company.
Though Bayer denies wrongdoing, the corporation has agreed to a $38 million settlement to resolve allegations of U.S. securities laws violations related to its Monsanto acquisition. The settlement has received preliminary court approval, and eligible class members can now claim a share.
Read on for more information about the allegations and to learn if you qualify.
Who Qualifies For The Bayer ADR Securities Settlement?
To qualify to claim a portion of the $38 million settlement, you must have purchased or acquired Bayer’s publicly traded American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) between May 23, 2016, and July 6, 2020. Individuals and entities are eligible to make a claim.
You may have acquired the ADRs in a variety of ways, including:
- Direct purchase
- Custodial accounts
- By redeeming or depositing Bayer ordinary shares with the Bank of New York Mellon
For more information on eligibility requirements and settlement details, please visit the official Bayer ADR settlement website.
Note: If you have already requested class exclusion, you may still qualify to make a claim. To opt back into the settlement, you will need to send a written request no later than October 9, 2025. Further information, including the settlement administrator’s address, can be found on the settlement notice.
How Do I Claim A Bayer Securities Settlement Payout?
You can submit an electronic claim on the settlement website or print out and mail in a paper claim form. All claims must be received by October 16, 2025.
Paper claims can be mailed to:
Bayer ADR Securities Litigation
c/o A.B. Data Ltd.
P.O. Box 173084
Milwaukee, WI 53217
Class members must provide evidence of Bayer ADR acquisition to make a claim. Qualifying proof includes:
- Monthly brokerage account statements
- Broker confirmation slips (including copies)
- Authorized broker statements that show the transactions and holding information
How Did Bayer Allegedly Mislead Investors?
According to the class action complaint, Bayer went out of its way to reassure investors that it was safe to continue supporting the company.
They made purportedly false and misleading statements like, “[The Monsanto acquisition] is just as attractive today as we assessed it to be two years ago,” and, “The Monsanto people went out of their way to provide us with transparency, data, and visibility to the most critical questions we had."
Plaintiffs take issue with these statements, stating that Bayer shouldn’t have taken Monsanto’s claims at face value without further evaluating the Roundup litigation risk.
The lawsuit also states that Bayer’s CEO Werner Baumann may have further tried to ease investor anxieties with untrue statements about Roundup’s formulation. Research shows the former Roundup formulation may have been more dangerous than glyphosate alone. However, Baumann claimed that “there is no difference” between the two—despite Monsanto’s own internal research demonstrating the opposite.
How Much Will Claimants Receive?
Rebates for eligible claimants are expected to be around $0.15 per affected share. However, it’s important to remember that cash payouts depend on the settlement’s final approval and may vary based on a number of other factors, including:
- When qualifying ADRs were purchased and sold, and
- A share price’s total artificial inflation at purchase and sale.
Table A in the settlement notice provides more details. Any approved payouts will be distributed via mailed paper check.
Bayer ADR Settlement Fast Facts
Deadline to File a Claim: October 16, 2025
Payout Amount: Estimated $0.15 per affected share
Proof Needed: Yes; proof of ADR acquisition required
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