Federal Court Grants Monsanto Full Win in East St. Louis PCB Case

A federal judge has given BCLP client Monsanto (now owned by agribusiness giant Bayer) a complete victory in a multi‑billion‑dollar lawsuit filed by the city of East St. Louis over alleged PCB contamination. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois dismissed the entire case after finding the city waited far too long to sue. The court noted that Monsanto stopped manufacturing PCBs in 1977 and that the city had decades of information pointing to potential contamination but did not file its lawsuit until 2021.

This continues a string of wins by BCLP for Monsanto in litigation tied to potential PCB contamination at sites around the country. PCBs are synthetic compounds that were valued for their durability and heat resistance. They were used in many electrical and industrial products manufactured before a 1979 production ban.

The judge also rejected the city’s argument that it was entitled to additional time to bring its claims because it was acting on behalf of the public. According to the ruling, the 273 properties at issue are vacant lots not used by the general public and, in many cases, not owned by the city. The court further noted that no government agency has ever required cleanup of these sites and that the city has never created or funded a remediation plan. The ruling emphasized that the city did not demonstrate any measurable risk to public health.

The court found that federal environmental regulators had communicated with city officials about conditions in the area over many years and that the region’s industrial history has been well‑known for decades. Testimony showed that city officials were familiar with environmental concerns in the area long before 2016. Despite this, the city waited until 2021 to file suit.

Because the case was dismissed on timing grounds, the judge also denied all remaining motions, including those concerning expert testimony and other legal issues. The decision leaves no claims for trial and delivers Monsanto, along with co‑defendants Solutia Inc. and Pharmacia LLC, a full summary‑judgment victory. Read the court’s full ruling for more details.

The BCLP Monsanto defense team was led by Partner Liz Blackwell, supported by Partner Darci Madden and Associates Olaniyi Solebo, Slade Mendenhall, Madeline Derango and Lauren Simon. Liz argued the motion for summary judgment that was granted by the district court.