On Aug. 4, 2025, the State of New Jersey announced it reached an agreement with DuPont and related companies in excess of $2 billion to resolve all statewide litigation matters and other state directives in relation to longstanding PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) contamination.

Under the settlement, DuPont and related entities have agreed to fully remediate PFAS and other contamination at four historical DuPont industrial sites in New Jersey: Chambers Works, Parlin, Pompton Lakes Works, and Repauno. The agreement also includes funding for damages to the state’s natural resources (including drinking water) and efforts to address those damages.

This landmark settlement is the largest obtained by a single state for PFAS contamination claims.

Taft partners Rob Bilott and Dave Butler were part of the legal team that supported the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, along with attorneys at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP and the Law Offices of John K. Dema PC.

“It is an honor be part of the legal team supporting Attorney General Platkin and to help achieve this historic result for the people of New Jersey. We congratulate the State on this landmark settlement and the precedent it sets in the fight against forever chemicals. At Taft, we will continue to work to secure compensation for those injured by PFAS contamination and promote our shared communities’ well-being,” said partners Rob Bilott and Dave Butler in a joint statement.

Taft attorneys have been at the forefront of issues relating to PFAS for more than two decades. Throughout that time, Taft has led efforts to raise awareness within the legal community, scientific community, regulators, policymakers, and the public of the serious threat posed to human health and the environment from exposure to this class of potentially thousands of completely man-made chemicals.

Dubbed by The New York Times Magazine as “The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare” in an article published on Jan. 6, 2016, Bilott has represented a diverse array of clients, nationwide, who have been harmed by PFAS. His work is the subject of a feature film, “Dark Waters,” and the documentaries “The Devil We Know,” “Burned- Protecting the Protectors,” and “Revealed: How to Poison A Planet,” and is detailed in his book, “Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer’s Twenty-year Battle Against DuPont.” Bilott is a member of Taft’s Environmental, Litigation, and Product Liability and Personal Injury practices and is a board member of Less Cancer, Green Umbrella, and the New College Foundation.

Butler is a litigation partner in Taft’s Columbus office. He has extensive experience in complex civil litigation, mass tort class actions, and multi-district litigations. Butler concentrates his practice in federal court, representing clients in a wide range of commercial and mass tort legal matters.