"PFAS Legal Liability Risks and Burdens Point to More Settlements"

"The number of companies weighing possible PFAS settlements in a nationwide case is likely to grow as a federal court moves into the next phases of litigation.

The first group of lawsuits to move through In Re Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation MDL 2873 involved public water systems on the hook for millions of dollars to remove PFAS from drinking water. Those cases resulted in the 3M Co. offering up to $12.5 billion and three companies tied historically to E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. offering $1.18 billion in court-approved settlements.

A second group of public water system cases has begun to move through the national case with personal injury, state, and other lawsuits to follow.

Multimillion-dollar deals offered recently by the BASF Corp. and Tyco Fire Products LP “foreshadow more settlements to come” in the national case managed by the US District Court for the District of South Carolina and lawsuits in other courts, said Ralph DeMeo, shareholder with Guilday Law PA."

Pat Rizzuto reports for Bloomberg Environment June 11, 2024.

Source: Bloomberg Environment, 06/12/2024