Judge Approves Historic $12.5 Billion 3M Settlement to Clean America’s Water Supplies

Napoli Shkolnik and the other members of the PFAS Settlement Steering Committee praised U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel’s decision to approve the historic $12.5 billion settlement with 3M regarding PFAS contamination in America’s public water systems. The settlement follows the judge’s decision in February to approve a $1.18 billion settlement with DuPont.

“After years of work, we are delighted that Judge Gergel has approved the 3M settlement and funds will start flowing later this year so the critical work of cleaning up this country’s water systems can begin,’’ said Paul Napoli, partner in Napoli Shkolnik and a member of the PFAS Settlement Committee, which also includes Elizabeth Fegan of Fegan Scott, Michael London of Douglas & London, Joe Rice of Motley Rice LLC, and Scott Summy of Baron & Budd LLC. “There is more work to be done but these settlements are a strong start for our work to ensure the well-being of every American.’’

The settlements encompass public water systems that have identified PFAS detections in their drinking water sources, along with systems mandated to undergo PFAS contamination testing. These settlements were reached after five years of intense litigation that included 30 million pages of discovery documents, and more than 200 depositions.

Funds from the settlements will compensate water providers for contamination with the chemicals used widely in nonstick, water- and grease-resistant products, as well as some firefighting foams.

Described as “forever chemicals” because they don’t degrade naturally in the environment, PFAS have been linked to a variety of health problems, including liver and immune-system damage and some cancers.

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