A $11.9 million settlement was reached in the lawsuit filed by Parchment, Michigan, residents after per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination was discovered.
This contamination impacted municipal drinking water in Parchment, reported Booth Newspapers. Letters will be sent to addresses in the affected area, according to court documents.
On Jul. 26, 2018, test results showed the municipal water system in Parchment serving approximately 3,100 residents in Parchment and Cooper Township contained 670 ppt PFOA and 740 ppt PFOS with a total PFAS level of 1,600 ppt, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
Law firm Liddle & Dubin PC filed the lawsuit on behalf of plaintiff David Dykehouse as a proposed class action lawsuit that will include others in a similar situation as him. The settlement class is anyone who owned, leased, rented or resided in homes or residential properties serviced by the Parchment water system as of Jul. 26, 2018, but have not brought individual actions for personal injury or illness based on exposure to PFAS in the municipal water.
“Through the agreement, 3M and Georgia-Pacific will contribute a total of $11.9 million to resolve the plaintiffs’ claims on behalf of the proposed class,” stated Georgia-Pacific Spokesman Rick Kimble in an email to Booth Newspapers. “The parties worked collaboratively to reach this mutually acceptable agreement without resorting to further lengthy and expensive litigation.”
The agreement resolving the litigation is subject to court approval, added Kimble.
The complaint was originally filed in the Western District of U.S. District Court in Nov. 2018, alleging that PFAS had migrated from a nearby former paper mill and its associated facilities into Parchment’s municipal water system.
The firm will process all claims received and will issue checks to class members who submit an approved claim as appropriate, according to the ruling, reported Booth Newspapers.
