HGD announces that a settlement has been reached with 3M Company, Dyneon, LLC (“3M”), and Daikin America, Inc. (“DAI”) in a class-action lawsuit over contamination of drinking water distributed to residential customers of West Morgan-East Lawrence Water and Sewer Authority (“WMEL”), Town Creek Water System, West Lawrence Water Cooperative, V.A.W. Water System, and Trinity Water Works.
The suit and the settlement address PFAS compounds allegedly discharged into the Tennessee River by the Defendants that made their way into drinking water distributed to customers by WMEL and to the other water utilities listed above between 2013 and 2016. The utilities have since installed treatment systems to remove the compounds from the water supplied to their customers.
HGD partners Lew Garrison, Tim Davis, and Chris Hood are counsel for the Class, along with Kevin Hannon of the Hannon Law Firm.
The Settlement. The Defendants denied liability in the suit, but they have agreed to settle it. 3M has agreed to pay $11,100,000, as well as half of the costs of settlement notice and administration to settle the class action. DAI has agreed to pay $900,000 to settle it. These monies will be used to create a $12,000,000 Total Settlement Amount. After deducting attorneys’ fees and expenses, the Class Representatives’ service awards (if approved), and half of the costs of notice and administration, approximately $6,415,000 of the fund will be used to make payments to Ratepayer Subclass Members, and approximately $1,000,000 of the fund will be used to make payments to Resident Subclass Members who submit valid Claim Forms.
Are you eligible for a payment? If you paid for or received drinking water that originated from WMEL between 2013 and 2016, which may include water distributed by the other water utilities listed above, you may be eligible for a payment from a class action settlement.
You may be included in this settlement if you were a residential-coded customer of WMEL, Town Creek Water System, West Lawrence Water Cooperative, V.A.W. Water System, or Trinity Water Works or you currently reside in Alabama, Georgia, or Tennessee, and you owned or resided in a residential housing unit that received water originating with WMEL or provided by WMEL, Town Creek Water System, West Lawrence Water Cooperative, V.A.W. Water System, or Trinity Water Works during the time period outlined above.
QUESTIONS? CALL 1-888-890-6713 TOLL-FREE
OR VISIT WMEL DRINKING WATER SETTLEMENT SITE
