Hoosick Falls Water Contamination $65M Class Action Settlement

UPDATE 2:

• Class Members who filed a claim through the settlement website but did not receive a confirmation email within minutes thereafter are asked to contact Emma Duggan at 212-558-5677 or eduggan@weitzlux.com or Steve Schwarz at 585-399-6035 or sschwarz@faraci.com as soon as possible to confirm the claim was received. 

UPDATE:

• The Court granted final approval to this class action settlement Feb. 2, 2022.
• Let Top Class Actions know when you receive a check in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.

Residents of the eastern New York town of Hoosick Falls will be eligible to benefit from a $65 million settlement with Saint-Gobain, Honeywell, and 3M over alleged water contamination from perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).

Four groups make up the PFOA contamination settlement Class:

• The Medical Monitoring Settlement Class is made up of anyone who, for at least six months between 1996 and 2016, ingested water supplied by the Village Municipal Water System or from a private well in the village of Hoosick Falls or town of Hoosick in which PFOA has been detected, and who underwent blood serum tests that detected a PFOA level in their blood above 1.86 µg/L. This Class also includes any natural child born to a woman who meets and/or met the above criteria at the time of the child’s birth and whose blood serum was tested after birth and detected a PFOA level higher than 1.86 µg/L.
• The Municipal Water Property Settlement Class consists of anyone who is or was an owner of residential property supplied with drinking water from the Village Municipal Water System, and who purchased that property on or before Dec. 16, 2015, and owned that property as of that date. This group, together with the Private Well Water Property Settlement Class, is also referred to as the Property Settlement Class.
• The Nuisance Settlement Class includes anyone who is or was an owner or renter of residential property in Hoosick Falls or Hoosick that was supplied with drinking water from a privately owned well in which PFOA was detected, had a point-of-entry treatment (POET) system installed to filter water from that well, and who either owned and occupied that property at the time PFOA in the private well was discovered through a water test on or after Dec. 16, 2015, or who rented and occupied the property at the time PFOA in the property’s private well was discovered through a water test on or after that date.
• The Private Well Water Property Settlement Class is made up of anyone who is or was an owner of residential property in Hoosick Falls or Hoosick that was supplied with drinking water from a private well in which PFOA was detected, and who owned that property at the time PFOA in the property’s private well was discovered via water test on or after Dec. 16, 2015. This group, together with the Municipal Water Property Settlement Class, is also referred to as the Property Settlement Class.

Certain parties are excluded from the Hoosick Falls water contamination settlement with Saint-Gobain, Honeywell, and 3M, including anyone who previously filed a claim against any of the settling defendants alleging a PFOA-related injury or illness. More information on exclusions is available on the FAQ page of the settlement website.

Plaintiffs in the Hoosick Falls water contamination class action claimed Saint-Gobain, 3M, and Honeywell contaminated the aquifer beneath the town with PFOA by releasing the chemical into the environment, leading people to unknowingly consume drinking water that contained unsafe PFOA levels.

PFOA chemicals are known for their longevity in the body and environment, and can potentially lead to developmental and reproductive problems, as well as cancers and immunological effects.

Hoosick Falls Water Contamination Settlement Benefits

After attorney’s fees and other expenses are deducted from the $65.25 million settlement fund, the remaining balance will be allocated among the Property and Nuisance Classes and a medical monitoring program.

Each Property Settlement Class Member’s payment will be calculated by multiplying the market value of their eligible property by $20.7 million — the amount allocated to this Class — then dividing by the total market value of all eligible properties.

Nuisance Class Members’ payment amounts will be calculated by dividing the total number of valid Nuisance Class claims by the Nuisance Class allocation of $7,761,683. These payments will be distributed evenly among all Nuisance Class Members who submit valid claims. 

The medical monitoring program allocation will pay medical monitoring-related expenses, including physician and lab payments.

The program will begin when the PFOA water contamination settlement becomes final and will end either when the $22.8 million Medical Monitoring Allocation has been fully used or when all bills received on or before the 10-year anniversary of the date the settlement becomes final have been paid, whichever comes first. 

Medical Monitoring Class Members who complete the Initial Diagnostic Survey and the Initial Screening Consultation within 12 months of the date the PFOA contamination settlement with Saint-Gobain, Honeywell, and 3M becomes final will receive $100. If money remains in the allocation when the program ends, Class Members who have participated in all available services may receive an additional payment, or the money may be paid as a contribution to a not-for-profit organization focused on the health and well-being of Hoosick-area residents.

A final approval hearing in the Hoosick Falls water contamination settlement will take place Feb. 2, 2022.

The deadline to opt out of or object to the settlement with Saint-Gobain, Honeywell, and 3M is Dec. 9, 2021.

The deadline to file a claim is Jan. 24, 2022.

Who’s Eligible

• The Medical Monitoring Settlement Class is made up of anyone who, for at least six months between 1996 and 2016, ingested water supplied by the Village Municipal Water System or from a private well in the village of Hoosick Falls or town of Hoosick in which PFOA has been detected, and who underwent blood serum tests that detected a PFOA level in their blood above 1.86 µg/L. This Class also includes any natural child born to a woman who meets and/or met the above criteria at the time of the child’s birth and whose blood serum was tested after birth and detected a PFOA level higher than 1.86 µg/L.
• The Municipal Water Property Settlement Class consists of anyone who is or was an owner of residential property supplied with drinking water from the Village Municipal Water System, and who purchased that property on or before Dec. 16, 2015, and owned that property as of that date. This group, together with the Private Well Water Property Settlement Class, is also referred to as the Property Settlement Class.
• The Nuisance Settlement Class includes anyone who is or was an owner or renter of residential property in Hoosick Falls or Hoosick that was supplied with drinking water from a privately owned well in which PFOA was detected, had a point-of-entry treatment (POET) system installed to filter water from that well, and who either owned and occupied that property at the time PFOA in the private well was discovered through a water test on or after Dec. 16, 2015, or who rented and occupied the property at the time PFOA in the property’s private well was discovered through a water test on or after that date.
• The Private Well Water Property Settlement Class is made up of anyone who is or was an owner of residential property in Hoosick Falls or Hoosick that was supplied with drinking water from a private well in which PFOA was detected, and who owned that property at the time PFOA in the property’s private well was discovered via water test on or after Dec. 16, 2015. This group, together with the Municipal Water Property Settlement Class, is also referred to as the Property Settlement Class.

Potential Award

Varies

Proof of Purchase

Deed, tax bill, water bill, water test results, blood test results, and PFOA well testing results may be required depending on which class.

Claim Form

NOTE: If you do not qualify for this settlement do NOT file a claim.

Remember: you are submitting your claim under penalty of perjury. You are also harming other eligible Class Members by submitting a fraudulent claim. If you’re unsure if you qualify, please read the FAQ section of the Settlement Administrator’s website to ensure you meet all standards (Top Class Actions is not a Settlement Administrator). If you don’t qualify for this settlement, check out our database of other open class action settlements you may be eligible for.

Claim Form Deadline

01/24/2022

Case Name

Baker, et al. v. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp., et al., Case No. 1:16-CV-00917-LEK-DJS, in the U.S. District Court Northern District Of New York

Final Hearing

02/02/2022

Settlement Website

HoosickFallsFOASettlement.com

Claims Administrator

Baker v. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corporation Settlement Administrator
P.O. BOX 43502
Providence, RI 02940-3502
info@HoosickFallsPFOASettlement.com
855-786-0992

Class Counsel

Stephen G. Schwarz
Hadley L. Matarazzo
FARACI LANGE LLP

James J. Bilsborrow
SEEGER WEISS LLP

Robin L. Greenwald
WEITZ & LUXENBERG PC

Defense Counsel

Charles Anthony
HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.

Elissa J. Preheim
Michael D. Daneker
ARNOLD & PORTER KAYE SCHOLER LLP

La-Toya Hackney
Thomas Field
SAINT-GOBAIN CORPORATION

Douglas Fleming
DECHERT LLP

Laura Hammargren
3M LEGAL AFFAIRS

Andrew Calica
MAYER BROWN LLP