Industry News

3M Receives Final Approval for $10.3 Billion PFAS Settlement

April 2, 2024

Payments to begin in third quarter and stretch over a 13-year period

3M said a federal court approved an offer of at least $10.3 billion to settle claims related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, contamination in drinking water.

The U.S. District Court in Charleston, South Carolina, officially approved the company’s settlement agreement March 29 with U.S. public water suppliers.

3M will begin making payments, which could go up to $12.5 billion, in the third quarter of 2024 for a period of 13 years, providing there are no pending appeals of the final approval order.

The agreement will help public water suppliers address the detection of PFAS at any level in drinking water, 3M said.

3M will continue seeking insurance coverage for the settlement payments, the company said.

Napoli Shkolnik and the other members of the PFAS Settlement Steering Committee praised U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel’s decision to approve the settlement with 3M. 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.’’

These settlements were reached after five years of intense litigation that included 30 million pages of discovery documents and more than 200 depositions, Napoli Shkolnik noted..

About the Author

Jonathan Katz | Executive Editor

Jonathan Katz, executive editor, brings nearly two decades of experience as a B2B journalist to Chemical Processing magazine. He has expertise on a wide range of industrial topics. Jon previously served as the managing editor for IndustryWeek magazine and, most recently, as a freelance writer specializing in content marketing for the manufacturing sector.

His knowledge areas include industrial safety, environmental compliance/sustainability, lean manufacturing/continuous improvement, Industry 4.0/automation and many other topics of interest to the Chemical Processing audience.

When he’s not working, Jon enjoys fishing, hiking and music, including a small but growing vinyl collection.

Jon resides in the Cleveland, Ohio, area.