3M To Pay $7,350,000,000 To Settle Injury Claims Over ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Firefighting Foam
Manufacturing giant 3M has agreed to pay billions of dollars to resolve most of the personal injury claims tied to “forever chemicals” in firefighting foam.
The company says it will make a $7.35 billion commitment over nine years, with a present value of $5.8 billion, to settle claims in the Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) multidistrict litigation in South Carolina federal court.
Forever chemicals, known as PFAS, linger in the environment instead of breaking down and have been linked to health problems including cancer, reports The Hill.
3M says the deal addresses about 99% of current personal injury claims inside and outside the multidistrict litigation and involves about 115,000 to 120,000 eligible plaintiffs.
The company will pay $50 million in 2026 and nothing in 2027, with about 20% of the payments due in the final two years.
The total also includes a $680 million reserve fund for remaining and future claims.
Says 3M chairman and CEO William Brown,
“This settlement is a significant milestone for 3M and substantially reduces litigation uncertainty. Following our 2023 resolution with U.S. public water suppliers and our more recent settlement with the State of New Jersey, this is another important step in managing legacy PFAS matters.”
3M denies liability for the PFAS claims and says the agreement is not an admission of liability.
Attorneys Fred Thompson and David Hoyle of the law firm Motley Rice say in a statement,
“For the thousands of victims who have sought answers and accountability for nearly a decade, 3M’s $7.35 billion settlement is welcome news.”
3M separately settled claims from public water systems for more than $10 billion in 2023.
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