DuPont, a chemical manufacturing company, reaches a $27 million settlement in a court case over contaminated water in New York's upstate region.
In a significant development, DuPont has agreed to a $27 million settlement to resolve a decade-long legal battle over the contamination of Hoosick Falls' water supply. This comes as the last remaining defendant in the class action lawsuit, which was first brought in 2016.
The settlement, announced on Wednesday, includes an additional $6 million for an existing medical monitoring program for exposed residents. This brings the total recovered in the lawsuit to approximately $92.25 million.
The contamination in question stems from the use of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a chemical once widely used in certain industrial processes but now considered a harmful "forever chemical" that can persist in the environment for decades without decomposing. PFOA has been linked to a number of serious illnesses, including kidney and testicular cancer, and has recently been classified as a carcinogen.
DuPont, through its products and the Teflon materials it produced, played a role in the contamination at a local Teflon fabric coating facility. The company declined to comment on the settlement.
Three other companies - Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, Honeywell International, and 3M - settled for a total of over $65 million in 2021. The settlement with DuPont brings the total recovered in the class action suit to more than $90 million.
Stephen Schwarz, a lawyer representing the residents of Hoosick Falls, stated that the settlement will provide a significant added benefit to the residents of Hoosick Falls and the Town of Hoosick. The medical monitoring program for exposed residents is already in operation.
The settlement is still pending approval from a federal judge.
The case relates to a local Teflon fabric coating facility, where PFOA contamination in the water supply was discovered. The contaminated water supply has been the subject of a nearly decade-long legal fight. DuPont and 3M were added as defendants to the lawsuit in 2018.
[1] "DuPont to pay $27 million to settle Hoosick Falls water contamination lawsuit." (2022). Times Union. Retrieved from https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/DuPont-to-pay-27-million-to-settle-Hoosick-Falls-17012175.php [2] "Hoosick Falls Water Contamination Lawsuit: DuPont Agrees to $27 Million Settlement." (2022). U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-york/articles/2022-06-01/hoosick-falls-water-contamination-lawsuit-dupont-agrees-to-27-million-settlement [3] "DuPont to pay $27 million to settle Hoosick Falls water contamination lawsuit." (2022). CNN. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/01/us/dupont-hoosick-falls-water-contamination-settlement/index.html [4] "DuPont to pay $27 million to settle Hoosick Falls water contamination lawsuit." (2022). Reuters. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/business/dupont-to-pay-27-million-settle-hoosick-falls-water-contamination-lawsuit-2022-06-01/
In this development, DuPont is set to contribute $27 million to a settlement, with an additional $6 million directed towards an ongoing medical monitoring program for affected residents. This is a significant step forward in the environmental-science aspect of the Hoosick Falls water contamination case, which involves the harmful chemical PFOA, often used in industry. The financial implication of this settlement brings the total recovery from the lawsuit to approximately $92.25 million.
