A PFAS lawsuit is a claim against the manufacturers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — the synthetic “forever chemicals” used in firefighting foam and thousands of consumer and industrial products — for contaminating drinking water and causing serious illness. Most federal cases sit in a single multidistrict litigation in South Carolina, where water utilities have already secured more than $14 billion in settlements from 3M, DuPont, and related companies. Individual injury claimants have not yet received any payouts through that MDL. The first bellwether trials are expected to move forward in 2026, and a global resolution for injury cases could follow.
Where the Cases Are Consolidated
All federal PFAS cases tied to aqueous film-forming foam are grouped under MDL 2873 in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, before Judge Richard M. Gergel.1U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. MDL-2873 Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation The MDL was organized in early 2019 and by mid-2026 held roughly 19,800 total filings, with about 15,200 still pending.2MDL Update. MDL 2873 Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Plaintiffs include public water systems near military bases, airports, and industrial sites, along with individuals who say PFAS exposure caused cancer or other serious diseases.
Which Injuries Qualify
The MDL’s injury track has been narrowed. In Case Management Order No. 33, issued in March 2025, the court confirmed that the plaintiffs’ leadership committee is pursuing six conditions: kidney cancer, testicular cancer, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, liver cancer, and thyroid cancer.3Robert King Law Firm. Case Management Order No. 33 Roughly 19,000 claims involving other health conditions had already been dismissed by that point. Someone diagnosed with a condition outside that list can still try to file independently, but faces much steeper procedural requirements.
The science informing that list traces back to the C8 Science Panel, which found a “probable link” between PFOA exposure and testicular cancer, kidney cancer, high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, and pregnancy-induced hypertension.4IADC. PFAS Exposure – A Comprehensive Look The EPA separately recognizes links to increased risk of prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers, decreased fertility, developmental effects in children, and reduced immune function.5U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Our Current Understanding of the Human Health and Environmental Risks of PFAS
Who Is Being Sued
The two central defendants are 3M and DuPont, the companies most closely tied to the invention and mass production of PFAS starting in the 1950s. Lawsuits allege they knew for decades that these chemicals posed health and environmental risks and concealed that information from regulators and the public.6Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. Attorney General Schwalb Sues Major Chemical Companies7ESG Dive. 3M, DuPont, Chemours Chemical Manufacturers PFAS Case Dismissed8Wallace Miller. AFFF PFAS Lawsuit
3M has consistently denied wrongdoing.9PFAS Water Settlement. 3M Frequently Asked Questions The company said in December 2022 that it would exit all PFAS manufacturing by the end of 2025, and a spokesperson confirmed in January 2026 that it completed the exit on schedule.10Fox 9. 3M Says Its No Longer Manufacturing PFAS Chemicals A 2026 analysis found 3M still uses PFAS in about 14,000 products, having removed the chemicals from roughly 7,000 products over three years.11ChemSec. 3M Promised to Phase Out PFAS – How Has It Turned Out
Where Personal Injury Claims Stand
Despite the billions flowing to water utilities, individual plaintiffs alleging cancer and other diseases have not received any compensation through the MDL. As of mid-2026, no global personal injury settlement has been reached, and no bellwether trial has gone to verdict.12Drugwatch. PFAS Lawsuits
The court picked 28 bellwether cases: eight kidney cancer, eight testicular cancer, eight thyroid disease, and four ulcerative colitis.2MDL Update. MDL 2873 Aqueous Film-Forming Foams The first bellwether, a kidney cancer case, was originally set for October 20, 2025, then postponed after the court addressed a backlog of tens of thousands of unfiled claims.13Lawsuit Information Center. AFFF Firefighting Foam Lawsuit No new trial date had been set as of early 2026, though attorneys expect bellwether proceedings to resume that year. Discovery for the thyroid disease and ulcerative colitis group was complete as of April 2026.12Drugwatch. PFAS Lawsuits For the newer liver and thyroid cancer claims, the court held a “Science Day” on June 20, 2025, and expert reports were exchanged through fall 2025; rulings on whether that expert testimony will be admitted at trial have not yet issued.3Robert King Law Firm. Case Management Order No. 33
Payout estimates remain speculative. Legal analysts have projected that the most serious cases involving long-term occupational exposure and kidney or testicular cancer could be valued between $200,000 and $600,000, while shorter exposures or less directly linked conditions could fall well below $100,000.12Drugwatch. PFAS Lawsuits These are projections, not confirmed amounts, and actual values will hinge on the first bellwether outcomes. Earlier individual trials against DuPont, predating the MDL, produced awards of $50 million, $10.5 million, and $5.1 million in testicular cancer cases and $1.6 million in a kidney cancer case.4IADC. PFAS Exposure – A Comprehensive Look
Firefighters and Military Personnel
A significant share of injury plaintiffs are firefighters and military personnel exposed to aqueous film-forming foam used on fuel fires. AFFF was standard at military bases, airports, and training facilities for decades, and claimants say they absorbed PFAS through skin contact, breathing foam mist, and drinking contaminated groundwater near those sites.8Wallace Miller. AFFF PFAS Lawsuit One important boundary for veterans: the Department of Veterans Affairs does not currently grant presumptive service connection for AFFF-related conditions, so a veteran must independently prove the link between service and diagnosis to obtain VA benefits, separate from any MDL claim.14Hill and Ponton. Fire Fighting Foam – Deadly in the End
Water System Settlements Over $14 Billion
The largest financial outcomes so far involve public water systems, not individual injury plaintiffs. Three major class settlements have been reached within MDL 2873.
3M: Up to $12.5 Billion
3M agreed to pay between $10.5 billion and $12.5 billion to public water systems that have detected PFAS at any level. Final approval came on March 29, 2024.153M Investor Relations. 3M Settlement With Public Water Suppliers to Address PFAS Payments are structured over 13 years, front-loaded: $2.9 billion was due in 2024, $1.8 billion in 2025, and $2.6 billion in 2027. Phase One covers systems that had already detected PFAS by June 2023; Phase Two covers systems that detected it later or are required to test under federal monitoring rules and serve more than 3,300 people.9PFAS Water Settlement. 3M Frequently Asked Questions
DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva: $1.185 Billion
DuPont and successors Chemours and Corteva agreed to a combined $1.185 billion settlement, also approved by Judge Gergel. Chemours contributed $592 million, DuPont $400 million, and Corteva $193 million.16Corteva. Chemours, DuPont, and Corteva Reach Comprehensive PFAS Settlement It follows the same two-phase structure as the 3M deal and expressly excludes personal injury claims and state attorney general actions.17ASDWA. Judge Approves Settlement Requiring DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva to Pay $1.1 Billion
Tyco Fire Products: $750 Million
Tyco Fire Products reached a $750 million settlement covering public water systems that detected PFAS by May 2024, with preliminary approval granted and a final fairness hearing set for November 2024.18PFAS Water Settlement. Frequently Asked Questions – Tyco Tyco made an initial $250 million payment in June 2024, with the balance due by early fiscal 2025.19U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. SEC Filing – Tyco PFAS Settlement Personal injury claims are excluded here too.
Deadlines Water Systems Cannot Miss
Phase Two water systems face 2026 filing deadlines. Testing cost claims were due by March 31, 2026. Action fund claims under the DuPont settlement are due by June 30, 2026, and under the 3M settlement by July 31, 2026. Special needs fund claims for both are due by August 1, 2026.20National League of Cities. PFAS Settlement Deadlines Updated Water systems that miss these deadlines forfeit the right to file future PFAS lawsuits against 3M and DuPont.
State Attorney General Suits
Alongside the federal MDL, more than 30 state attorneys general have filed their own lawsuits, generally targeting environmental cleanup costs, natural resource damages, and consumer protection violations.21Safer States. More Than Half of US State Attorneys General Have Taken Action Against PFAS Manufacturers Minnesota settled with 3M for nearly $900 million in 2018.10Fox 9. 3M Says Its No Longer Manufacturing PFAS Chemicals In August 2025, New Jersey announced a deal with DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva valued at over $2 billion, covering cleanup at four industrial sites and statewide contamination claims: $875 million in direct payments over 25 years, a $1.2 billion remediation funding mechanism, and a $475 million reserve fund against corporate bankruptcy. That settlement remains subject to federal court approval.22New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Landmark Settlement With DuPont Valued at Over $2 Billion Texas filed a consumer-protection lawsuit in December 2024 accusing 3M and DuPont of deceptively advertising products such as Teflon, Stainmaster, and Scotchgard as safe.23Texas Attorney General. Attorney General Ken Paxton Sues Manufacturers of Toxic PFAS Forever Chemicals North Carolina’s suit against DuPont survived a motion to dismiss in August 2025, with the court affirming the attorney general’s authority to pursue common-law claims for PFAS contamination.24Sidley Austin. North Carolina Court Upholds Attorney Generals Common Law Authority to Pursue PFAS Suit
Consumer Product Lawsuits
A separate track targets companies that used PFAS in everyday goods. A class action in New Jersey federal court accuses Johnson & Johnson and its spin-off Kenvue of using undisclosed PFAS in adhesive bandages, with a Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee appointed as of July 2025.25Weitz & Luxenberg. PFAS Consumer Goods Suits have also been filed against cosmetics companies including L’Oréal, CoverGirl, Shiseido, and Burt’s Bees, alleging PFAS was added to products without disclosure to consumers.
How EPA Rules Affect the Litigation
In April 2024, the EPA set the first enforceable national drinking water limits for PFAS, capping PFOA and PFOS at 4 parts per trillion each, with an original compliance deadline of April 2029.26U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Proposed PFOA and PFOS Compliance Extension Rule In May 2026, the EPA proposed pushing that deadline to April 2031 for systems that request more time, while also proposing to rescind standards for four other PFAS compounds: PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (GenX), and a hazard-index mixture.27Harvard Environmental and Energy Law Program. EPA Issued First National Drinking Water Standard to Protect Against PFAS Exposure EPA Administrator Zeldin said the agency intended to establish “standards water systems can actually implement.” Public comments on the proposed rules are due by July 20, 2026. Industry and utility groups already have pending litigation in the D.C. Circuit challenging the original 2024 standards as too costly, and environmental groups may argue the rollbacks violate the Safe Drinking Water Act’s anti-backsliding provision.28Jones Day. EPA Proposes to Rescind Certain PFAS Drinking Water Standards For injury plaintiffs, the EPA’s decision to keep the strictest limits on PFOA and PFOS supports causation arguments tied to those two compounds even as the regulatory picture for other PFAS grows less certain.