Several states’ attorneys general have sued manufacturers over PFAS concerns. As some notable examples:
- Colorado. In February, Colorado’s AG filed a lawsuit against 15 manufacturers of firefighting foam containing PFAS. The complaint seeks a court order requiring the manufacturers to pay for all costs to investigate, clean up, restore and monitor contamination at all sites where the specific PFAS containing firefighting foam (AFFF) was used.
- Illinois. In March, Illinois’ AG filed a lawsuit against a chemical manufacturer pertaining to PFAS handling at one of their Illinois facilities. The complaint alleges that despite being aware of the health and environmental hazards connected to PFAS, the manufacturer downplayed the negative impacts. Illinois has hired outside counsel to function as special assistant district attorneys.
- Wisconsin. In April, Wisconsin’s AG (at the request of Wisconsin’s governor) filed a complaint against almost 20 companies alleging PFAS contamination of water, air, and sediment. The complaint alleges that the contamination would require “billions” to clean up, in addition to seeking punitive damages on the defendant manufacturers.
- Massachusetts. In May, Massachusetts’ AG filed a complaint against more than a dozen manufacturers of firefighting foams that contain PFAS chemicals. The complaint alleges that these companies hid information about the toxicity of PFAS, submitted false information to the EPA, and tried to prevent workers from discussing the risk the chemicals impose.
- California. In November, California’s AG filed a 79-page complaint against 18 manufacturer-defendants related to PFAS, alleging that they pushed a “campaign of deception” for the past two decades regarding the toxic impact of PFAS chemicals.
- Michigan. Michigan would not be left out of the AG lawsuit storm of 2022, filing a complaint against a paper manufacturer seeking damages relating to alleged releases of PFAS into the environment, and seeking a court order for a full investigation to remediate the alleged contamination.
