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PFAS Injury Lawsuits and Settlements

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) lawsuits claim that manufacturers have released these toxic chemicals into water supplies, causing individuals to develop cancer and other serious illnesses. PFAS have been widely used in the U.S. since the 1940s. These toxic chemicals do not break down, dilute, or degrade—earning them the name “forever chemicals”-- so it comes as no surprise that they are virtually everywhere.

Manufacturers use these man-made substances to make a broad range of consumer products, including cookware, firefighting foam, carpet, and packaging, and the chemicals eventually find their way into water, soil, and air, exposing millions to their carcinogenic effects.

Our law firm is representing individuals who have been exposed to PFAS and have developed cancer and other illnesses from this exposure.

We have been fighting large, negligent corporations since 1955. Our firm has a strong track record of delivering results, having achieved verdicts and settlements totaling more than $30 billion. Our attorneys will work to get you compensation for your PFAS exposure and injuries.

pfas coverage map

Figure 1 This image exists as an interactive map on the Environmental Working Group website. The map documents PFAS pollution in public and private water systems throughout the U.S., which continues to grow at "an alarming rate." SOURCE: Environmental Working Group

 
 

PFAS Lawsuits Updates

polluted river

October 31, 2022

U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin rejected 3M Co.’s attempt to avert a lawsuit filed by Middlesex Water. The water company claims that the multinational conglomerate released toxic forever chemicals into the drinking water supply. 3M asserted that the utility company could not prove the contamination resulted from the corporation’s manufacturing or distribution operations. The judge sided with Middlesex Water, and the case is proceeding. (Casetext)

September 16, 2022

Plaintiffs prevailed in 3M’s Motion for Summary Judgment in the Aqueous Film Forming Foams (AFFF) multidistrict litigation (In Re Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Prod. Liab. Litig., D.S.C., No. 2:18-mn-02873). Defendant argued that it was immune from liability for alleged damages because the company had developed the foam for the U.S. Navy, which limits its liability under a government contractor defense. Judge Richard M. Gergel rejected 3M’s bid for immunity, stating there were issues of fact as to the government’s knowledge of the risks associated with AFFF. The judge pointed to records revealing that the government was unaware of PFAS’ presence in AFFF until the year 2000. Furthermore, 3M failed to disclose the more than 1,000 internal studies on PFAS toxicity and its presence in AFFF. (Bloomberg Law)

 
 

Who Can File a PFAS Lawsuit?

If you were injured or developed certain illnesses because of your PFAS exposure, you are eligible to file a PFAS lawsuit and seek compensation for your losses.

Currently, our lawyers are representing clients who:

  1. Received a diagnosis (since 2000) of
  2. Testicular cancer
  3. Kidney cancer
  4. Ulcerative colitis
  5. Liver cancer
  6. Prostate cancer
  7. Pancreatic cancer
  8. Drank from contaminated water supply from 1990 to present for at least six cumulative months

PFAS has been found in the water in the following areas:

  1. Alabama (Centre, Guin, Saraland, Satsuma)
  2. California (San Jose, East Los Angeles, or Fresno)
  3. Colorado (Colorado Springs, Denver)
  4. Florida (Pensacola, Stuart, Miami)
  5. Illinois (Collinsville)
  6. Massachusetts (Ayer, Easton, Hyannis, Lanesborough)
  7. New Hampshire (Portsmouth)
  8. New Jersey
  9. New York (Hampton Bays)
  10. North Carolina (Maysville, Brunswick County)
  11. Ohio (Dayton)
  12. Pennsylvania (Warminster or Warrington)
  13. South Carolina (Charleston, Clinton)
 
 

How Much Would You Get in a PFAS Settlement?

The amount you could recover in a PFAS claim depends on the type and severity of your PFAS-caused cancer or illness. Some of the recoverable damages our lawyers could seek on your behalf include:

  1. Past and future medical costs
  2. Past and future lost wages
  3. Past and future pain and suffering, both mental and physical
  4. Possible punitive damages

If you lost a loved one due to a disease or illness they developed from PFAS exposure, you could be eligible to pursue a wrongful death action. Our wrongful death lawyers would work compassionately to help you through this process.

 
 

What Are the PFAS Class Action Lawsuits About?

The two most common types of per-fluoroalkyl and poly-fluoroalkyl substances are perfluorooctane sulfonate (“PFOS”) and perfluorooctanoic acid (“PFOA”). These cancer-causing forever chemicals build up and persist in the environment prompting a growing number of lawsuits over the last several years. Consider the following examples:

  1. Municipalities have filed PFAS water contamination lawsuits against chemical manufacturers and industrial companies for polluting water systems all over the country.
  2. As of September 1, 2022, more than 3,000 cases have been filed alleging injury due to PFAS exposure from groundwater contamination by aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), commonly known as the “firefighting foam.” AFFF is the most prolific contributor to PFAS contamination.
  3. In 2022, McDonald’s was named in a consumer class action lawsuit for selling food in packaging that contains PFAS.
  4. Numerous lawsuits have been filed by individuals who suffered exposure to PFAS-contaminated drinking water, causing them to develop cancer and other serious health problems.

Eligibility to file a PFAS lawsuit depends on your ability to establish exposure. If you have received notice that PFAS has been detected in your drinking water, call us today at (800) 277-1193. Our legal team will guide you through the next steps.

 
 

You Can Be Exposed in Many Ways

Unfortunately, the long history of using PFAS in the manufacturing of so many products, combined with the chemical’s nature to persist and accumulate, means most of us have suffered exposure. In fact, the chemicals exist in the blood of 97% of Americans, according to Pew Research.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that a minimum of 12 PFAS have been detected in blood serum since 1999. Four PFAS were found in the blood serum of almost all the people tested through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Methods of PFAS Exposure

EPA cautions that PFAS exposure in people occurs when they consume PFAS-contaminated food or water or when they use PFAS-containing products, including:

  1. Drinking water
  2. Firefighting foam
  3. Water and soil at hazardous waste sites, landfills, and disposal sites
  4. Facilities where PFAS is used or produced
  5. Food, like fish from PFAS-contaminated water and dairy from PFAS-exposed livestock
  6. Food packaging, such as fast food wrappers and containers, pizza boxes, and microwaveable popcorn bags
  7. Household products like carpet stain and water-repellant products used on carpets, clothing, and upholstery, as well as non-stick cookware
  8. Personal care products, such as cosmetics, shampoo, and dental floss
  9. Biosolids, like certain fertilizers from wastewater treatment plants

Certain occupations, including firefighting and manufacturing or processing of chemicals, also lend themselves to heightened PFAS exposure.

 
 

What Are the Health Risks of PFAS?

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has issued a statement recognizing the effects that exposure to high levels of PFAS may have on the human immune system. According to the agency, a National Toxicology Program review revealed that PFAS suppressed antibody response in both animals and humans.

A large body of studies have explored the potential outcomes of exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, including:

  1. Kidney cancer
  2. Testicular cancer
  3. Liver cancer
  4. Prostate cancer
  5. Ulcerative colitis
  6. Heightened cholesterol levels
  7. Decreases in infant birth weights
  8. Changes in liver enzymes
  9. Increased risk of high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia in pregnant women
 
 

Our Law Firm Offers Experience in PFAS and Environmental Litigation

Our PFAS lawyers bring a unique set of experience and knowledge to these cases, as our law firm has already been representing states, municipal governments, and private entities in recovering costs associated with removal and remediation of PFAS.

We also have extensive experience and a strong track record of results with environmental cases:

  1. 2017: $670 million settlement with DuPont to compensate 3,500 individuals injured by the chemical C8, which had been discharged into the Ohio River
  2. 2011: Chosen to head up federal litigation relating to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico—the largest accidental oil spill in U.S. history
  3. 2007: $380 million jury verdict for West Virginia residents of a community contaminated by pollutants from a DuPont plant
  4. 2001: $70 million settlement with Agrico and Conoco for polluting a Pensacola, Florida, waterway

Our PFAS legal team will put this knowledge and experience to work for you.

 
 

How Much Does it Cost to File a PFAS Lawsuit?

Our law firm operates on a contingency fee basis. This means we charge legal fees and costs only when and if we recover damages on your behalf. If we don’t win, you don’t pay.

We also offer you an initial case evaluation at no charge to you. This is a private, no-obligation consultation.

 
 

Is There Scientific Evidence That PFAS Are Harmful to Humans?

To say there is evidence that PFAS harms humans is an understatement. Here’s a small sample.

Environmental Health Perspectives: This September 2022 study added to the body of evidence between PFAS exposure and elevated cholesterol levels.

Exposure and Health: In July 2022, researchers identified $5.52 billion in an “annual disease burden and associated social costs” associated with the current annual exposure to long-chain PFAS.

Environmental Protection Agency: In June 2022, EPA issued drinking water advisories for PFAS. The agency cautioned that humans could suffer negative health effects from PFAS concentrations in water that are so minute they cannot be detected. This means that these chemicals are dangerous at any concentration.

National Toxicology Program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the International Agency for Research on Cancer: In 2016, these agencies released their analyses of the adverse effects of PFAS. According to the NTP, both PFOA and PFOS are “presumed to be an immune hazard to humans.” The IARC concluded that there is “evidence” of “the carcinogenicity of . . . PFOA” in humans and in experimental animals.

 
 

You Have Limited Time to File a PFAS Lawsuit

Statutes of limitations define the time you have from the date you sustain an illness or injury to file a lawsuit. Each state imposes its own strict statute of limitations. If you miss the deadline for filing a lawsuit in your case, you could be forever barred from recovering damages for your PFAS-caused cancer or other illness. Act now to preserve your rights.

We are a national law firm, and our PFAS attorneys will understand the statute of limitations in your state.

 
 

We Will Defend Your Right to Recovery in a PFAS Lawsuit

Levin Papantonio Rafferty does not back down from large corporations. We have the knowledge, experience, and passion to hold accountable the companies that polluted our earth, water, and air with harmful PFAS chemicals--prioritizing profit over Americans’ safety, health, and well-being

If you developed cancer or another illness after being exposed to PFAS, we will fight for your right to compensation.

Call today for your free consultation: (800) 277-1193.

 
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