(This October 6 story has been refilled to correct "until February" to "until further notice" in headline and "new court date" to "court status conference" in paragraphs 1 & 6)

FRANKFURT: A pending U.S. lawsuit over claims related to Bayer's glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup has been delayed, the company said on Sunday, with a court status conference in February, 2020.



"The Oct. 15, 2019 trial date for Winston v. Monsanto in St. Louis City has been postponed," Bayer said in a statement.

The lawsuit is the latest of several to be delayed as mediator Ken Feinberg tries to negotiate a settlement between the company and U.S. plaintiffs after a California jury in August last year found that Monsanto should have warned of alleged cancer risks.

"With the change in the trial schedule and no trial dates set through the rest of the year, the appeals of the three completed trials will be a significant focus of the litigation in the months ahead," Bayer said.

Handelsblatt first reported the latest delay earlier on Sunday.



A court document from the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, dated October 4, said a status conference to reevaluate the case had been set for February 10.

The number of U.S. plaintiffs blaming Roundup and other glyphosate-based weed killers for cancer has been rising continuously to stand at 18,400 as of July 11, hitting Bayer's share price.

(Reporting by Tina Bellon; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)