Connecticut AG files lawsuits against Chemours, 3M over PFAS

PFAS lawsuits overview: 

• Who: Connecticut Attorney General William Tong filed complaints against Chemours Company, 3M Company, EIDP Inc. and more than two dozen other companies. 
• Why: Tong claims the companies contaminated the state of Connecticut with toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. 
• Where: The lawsuits were filed in the Hartford Judicial District of the Connecticut Superior Court.

Connecticut’s attorney general filed a pair of lawsuits against more than two dozen companies — including Chemours and 3M — in January over claims they contaminated the state with toxic chemicals.

One of the lawsuits focuses on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) allegedly found in consumer products, while the other has claims involving pollution allegedly stemming from the manufacturing of aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) — which contains PFAS.  

In both cases, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong’s lawsuits argue the companies are polluting the state with chemicals while allegedly concealing and misrepresenting the dangers their products pose to groundwater. 

“With utter disregard for human health and the environment, the manufacturers concealed their knowledge about these harmful chemicals from regulators and deceived their customers,” the PFAS lawsuits state. 

PFAS contamination damaged value of state’s natural resources, Connecticut AG claims

Tong’s lawsuit claims the AFFF manufacturers are guilty of trespass, fraud, public nuisance, civil conspiracy and state statutes on environmental protection and unfair trade practices. Sixteen similar counts were also lodged against the consumer products manufacturers. 

“Contamination from PFAS Products persists in the State’s natural resources, damages their intrinsic value, and impairs the public benefits derived from access to, use, and enjoyment of the State’s natural resources,” the consumer products-focused lawsuit states. 

In both cases, Tong is requesting declaratory and injunctive relief along with the payment of civil penalties and relief in the form of compensatory and punitive damages. 

In a similar case, the state of Kentucky filed a complaint against 3M, Chemours, DuPont and more than 20 other companies last year over claims they knowingly contaminated the state with PFAS.  

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

The state of Connecticut is represented by  William M. Tong, Matthew I. Levine, Christopher Patrick Kelly, Michael W. Lynch and Julia R. Suesser of the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General.

The PFAS lawsuits are State of Connecticut v. EIDP Inc., et al., Case No. HHD-CV24-6179556-S and State of Connecticut v. 3M Co., et al., Case No. HHD-CV24-6179562-S in the Hartford Judicial District of the Connecticut Superior Court. 

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