3M agrees to settle PFAS injury claims tied to firefighting foam

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

3M agreed on Nov. 3 to pay up to $7.35 billion to settle personal injury claims from people who say PFAS contamination from firefighting foam made them sick. The deal covers about 99% of the roughly 115,000 to 120,000 plaintiffs in the federal litigation over aqueous film-forming foam.

The agreement closes the personal-injury phase of an eight-year case that had been heading toward a kidney-cancer trial. It leaves untouched claims from airports and other property owners, and suits by states over damage to natural resources.

Why it matters

The deal puts a price on decades of PFAS exposure and moves the remaining fights to property and state claims.

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Key Indicators

$7.35B

Nominal settlement commitment

Paid over nine years; present value is $5.8 billion.

$5.8B

Present value of the settlement

3M's own accounting of the discounted cost.

120,000

Plaintiffs eligible to participate

The company puts the range at about 115,000 to 120,000 people.

99%

Share of current injury claims covered

Covers claims inside and outside the AFFF MDL.

$680M

Reserve fund for remaining claims

Set aside for plaintiffs who join later or litigate separately.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

William Brown

3M chairman and chief executive

Leading 3M through the PFAS settlements

Fred Thompson

Attorney at Motley Rice, plaintiffs' negotiating counsel

Representing PFAS injury claimants

Richard Gergel

U.S. District Judge, District of South Carolina

Overseeing the AFFF multidistrict litigation

Organizations Involved

Chemical and industrial manufacturer

Settling PFAS personal injury claims without admitting liability

The St. Paul manufacturer that produced PFAS chemicals and the firefighting foam at the center of the litigation.

Motley Rice

Plaintiffs' law firm

Negotiated the settlement for PFAS claimants

A plaintiffs' firm that helped negotiate the 3M settlement on behalf of people alleging PFAS injuries.

AFFF Multidistrict Litigation

Federal consolidated litigation

Personal injury phase settling; property and state claims remain

The consolidated federal cases over aqueous film-forming foam, centralized in South Carolina since 2018.

Timeline

2000 November 2026

9 events Latest: Yesterday

Tap a bar to jump to that date

November 2026
Judge schedules settlement status hearing
Upcoming Legal

Judge Gergel sets a hearing and issues instructions for plaintiffs.
November 20th, 2026
3M shares rise after settlement
Latest Market

Investors weigh reduced litigation risk against the $7.35 billion cost.
Yesterday
3M announces $7.35 billion injury settlement
Settlement

Deal covers about 99% of current personal injury claims in the AFFF MDL.
2 days ago
2025
First injury trial postponed indefinitely
Legal

A kidney-cancer trial set for October 2025 is delayed after late claims surge.
2025
3M completes PFAS manufacturing exit
Corporate decision

3M says it met its goal of ending all PFAS production.
2025
2023
3M settles with public water systems
Settlement

3M agrees to pay more than $10 billion to U.S. drinking water providers.
2023
2022
3M sets deadline to exit PFAS manufacturing
Corporate decision

3M says it will stop making all PFAS globally by end of 2025.
2022
December 2018
PFAS lawsuits consolidated in South Carolina
Legal

A federal panel creates MDL No. 2873 before Judge Richard Gergel.
December 7th, 2018
2000
3M begins phasing out some PFAS
Corporate decision

3M announces it will voluntarily phase out certain PFAS chemicals.
2000

Scenarios

Settlement closes with near-total plaintiff participation

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: 3M and plaintiffs' counsel, in the settlement agreement

The agreement is built around participation: 3M pays as plaintiffs join, and a $680 million reserve covers those who arrive later. If roughly 99% of eligible claimants sign on, the MDL's personal-injury docket winds down and 3M's payments run through 2035.

Opt-outs take 3M back to trial

Possible Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Plaintiffs' lawyers and 3M, which says it is prepared to litigate if terms fail

The deal does not bind plaintiffs who decline to join. A group of opt-outs could pursue individual trials under the MDL court's evidentiary and timing order, producing verdicts that set a public benchmark for PFAS injury cases.

States and property owners become the next PFAS front

Possible Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: Post and Courier reporting on the MDL's remaining phases

With personal injury claims largely settled, the litigation shifts to airports, other property owners and states alleging damage to natural resources. Those cases rest on different damages theories and could produce larger per-claim exposure than the injury settlement.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

November 1998

Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (1998)

Forty-six states and the tobacco industry signed a $206 billion agreement paid over 25 years. It resolved state Medicaid claims over smoking-related costs, not individual smokers' lawsuits.

Then

States gained a predictable revenue stream, and tobacco companies absorbed the cost through price increases.

Now

The agreement became a template for large public-health settlements and included marketing restrictions.

Why this matters now

Like the 3M deal, it settled a public entity's costs while leaving individual injury claims to a separate process.

1984

Agent Orange settlement (1984)

Vietnam veterans sued the makers of Agent Orange, the herbicide used to clear jungle in Vietnam. Seven chemical companies settled for $180 million before trial without admitting liability.

Then

The money funded a class-wide payment program, and many veterans received small sums.

Now

It showed chemical makers could settle mass exposure claims collectively, and that proving individual causation was hard.

Why this matters now

3M's no-admission settlement follows the same structure: a fixed pool, a claims process, and no finding of fault.