3M class action claims company knowingly contaminated Georgia’s water supply

By Top Class Actions | February 12, 2026

Category: 3M Company Class Action Lawsuit and Settlement News

3M sign on plant — (Photo Credit: Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock)

3M PFAS class action lawsuit overview:

Who: Georgia cities Blakely, Cartersville, Chatsworth, Meigs and Pelham filed a class action lawsuit against 3M Company.
Why: The cities claim 3M knowingly contaminated Georgia’s water supply with PFAS.
Where: The 3M class action lawsuit was filed in Georgia federal court.
How to get help: If you were diagnosed with certain cancers or ulcerative colitis, you may be eligible to pursue compensation through a PFAS drinking water lawsuit.

Five Georgia cities have hit 3M Company with a class action lawsuit arguing the company knowingly contaminated the state’s water supply with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.”

The cities of Blakely, Cartersville, Chatsworth, Meigs and Pelham claim 3M was the sole manufacturer of PFOS in the United States and its primary manufacturer globally until 2002.

The cities argue PFAS never degrade and, as a result, have become known as “forever chemicals.”

“3M’s PFAS has contaminated, and continues to contaminate, the wastewater-treatment facilities and property of the proposed class representatives and class members,” the 3M class action says.

The cities want to represent a class of all governmental entities in Georgia that own a wastewater-treatment facility that has influent or effluent with PFOS or PFOA above four parts per trillion, among other things.

Despite dangers, 3M only agreed to phase out PFOS, PFOA in 2000, class action says

The cities argue 3M had known about the dangers of PFOS and PFOA for decades, including that the chemicals would make their way into groundwater, surface water, wastewater-treatment facilities, and ultimately into animals and humans.

“3M knew that it was selling tons of PFAS into Georgia, where they were contaminating wastewater-treatment facilities, surface water, groundwater, farmland, and, ultimately, people,” the 3M class action says.

The cities further claim 3M only agreed to phase out PFOS and PFOA in 2000 under pressure from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and agreed to pay a $1.5 million civil penalty in 2006 for failing to disclose the health risks and environmental persistence of PFAS.

The plaintiffs demand a jury trial and request declaratory and injunctive relief and an award of statutory and punitive damages for themselves and all class members.

3M previously agreed to pay up to $12.5 billion to settle a PFAS lawsuit claiming it contaminated the U.S. public drinking water system.

Have you been affected by PFAS contamination in Georgia? Let us know in the comments.

The cities are represented by Michael B. Terry, Jason J. Carter, Tiana Mykkeltvedt, Jeffrey W. Chen and Amanda D. Bradley of Bondurant Mixson & Elmore LLP; Virgil L. Adams of Adams, Jordan & Herrington P.C.; Casondra Turner of Milberg PLLC; and James Benjamin Finley and N. Nickolas Jackson of The Finley Firm P.C.

The 3M PFAS lawsuit is City of Blakely, et al. v. 3M Company, Case No. 1:26-cv-00008-LAG, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia.