The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a bid by biotech giant Bayer to end thousands of lawsuits alleging its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, likely costing the company billions of dollars in settlements.

The decision is another key defeat for Bayer. Together, the setbacks are expected to eliminate a legal standstill in unresolved cases, according to plaintiffs’ lawyers. Bayer now essentially has two choices, they say: Go to trial to fight more cases, or reach additional out-of-court settlements.

“Everything has kind of fallen apart on Bayer,” said Jim Onder, an attorney from the St. Louis-based Onder Law Firm. “They’re kind of at the end of the rope.”

Onder represents just under 20,000 plaintiffs in Roundup cases — about half of the unresolved caseload nationwide, he said.

Bayer said it “respectfully disagrees” with the court’s decision and that the company is “fully prepared to manage the litigation risk associated with potential future claims in the U.S.”