3M Company has announced a new landmark deal to pay up to $7.35 billion to resolve the claims of thousands of people from all across the country alleging personal injury attributable to PFAS “forever chemical” exposure. The resolution was announced yesterday in the context of the ongoing Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) Multi-District Litigation (MDL) proceedings pending in federal court in South Carolina, where a wide variety of claims involving damages from PFAS and AFFF have been consolidated since 2018.

Taft partner Rob Bilott, who serves as Advisory Counsel to the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in the AFFF MDL, commented:

“The Plaintiffs’ leadership and trial teams should be incredibly proud – and commended – for this ground-breaking resolution that will allow so many people who have been injured by PFAS exposure – including our nation’s firefighters, military personnel, and residents exposed to these forever chemicals in their drinking water – to receive compensation for their injuries. I am particularly pleased to see that the important scientific work our Taft team led so many years ago through the C8 Health Project and C8 Science Panel activities, which independently confirmed the links between certain PFAS exposures and serious disease, including testicular cancer, kidney cancer, ulcerative colitis, and thyroid disease, is continuing to serve as the basis for meaningful, comprehensive resolutions of these issues. Hopefully, this science will continue to be used to further advance and secure significant public health benefits for all impacted by PFAS.”

Taft attorneys have led PFAS-related work for more than 25 years, helping raise awareness globally among legal professionals, scientists, regulators, policymakers, and the public about the health and environmental risks posed by this class of thousands of synthetic chemicals.

Bilott has litigated landmark PFAS cases nationwide, including the first class action and subsequent multidistrict litigation, resulting in billions of dollars of benefits for affected clients. In 2017, he received the Right Livelihood Award, often called the “Alternative Nobel Prize,” for his PFAS work. He is the author of “Exposure,” which inspired the 2019 film “Dark Waters,” starring Mark Ruffalo as Rob.