There are now around 10,000 lawsuits in the aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) firefighting foam MDL which allege that manufacturers of AFFF firefighting foam knew or should have known that the PFAS chemicals in the foam may cause cancer but failed to warn about this risk.
No settlements have been reached yet in the AFFF litigation. However, we believe that the majority of the lawsuits will be settled before the first trial, which is set to start on October 6, 2025. We believe that out-of-court settlements are likely because of documented misconduct by AFFF manufacturers such as 3M and DuPont which could lead to huge amounts of punitive damages should the cases go to trial.
You may be wondering what settlements in AFFF firefighting foam lawsuits may be worth. We believe that settlements in these cases could be worth anywhere from $20,000 to $600,000, depending on what injuries were suffered in each individual case.
Call us today for a free consultation if you or a loved one has been exposed to AFFF firefighting foam and has been diagnosed with any of the following conditions:
- Thyroid cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Testicular cancer
- Thyroid disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- Liver cancer
We can help you recover financial compensation if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with any of the above conditions after being exposed to AFFF firefighting foam. We can help you file an AFFF lawsuit seeking financial compensation for medical bills, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, pain, suffering, wrongful death and more.
We won’t charge any fee until and unless we recover compensation for you. Call us today.
AFFF Firefighting Settlement Projections: What to Expect
No settlements have been publicly reported regarding any AFFF firefighting foam lawsuit alleging that cancer was caused by exposure to AFFF. However, there are around 10,000 pending AFFF lawsuits in federal court.
Our lawyers believe that the majority of firefighting foam cancer lawsuits will be settled by the defendants in early 2025 – the first trial in the MDL is set for October 2025.
Why do we think this? We believe these lawsuits will follow a similar pattern to lawsuits over water being contaminated by AFFF. Defendants in those lawsuits have already agreed to a settlement worth billions of dollars. Those cases saw the defendants apparently prefer settling over going through uncertain trials. We believe the same will happen in the AFFF firefighting foam cases involving cancer – they are strong cases.
We believe the defendants in the AFFF cancer lawsuits will probably make a similar decision in order to avoid the possibility of juries awarding extremely large payouts.
One reason we believe this is that misconduct on behalf of AFFF manufacturers such as 3M and DuPont has been documented for decades. Juries may view this conduct as deliberate and reckless and decide to hand out huge amounts of punitive damages to plaintiffs in court.
DuPont, more than 60 years ago, told its workers to be extremely careful when handling AFFF – implicitly acknowledging the dangers of the product. In the 1970s, 3M found that fish near manufacturing plants were contaminated with PFAS chemicals, clearly demonstrating that the chemicals were harming the environment. The 1980s saw DuPont remove every single female employee from a facility where PFAS chemicals were produced because multiple workers ended up giving birth to kids who had severe deformities. This move implicitly acknowledged the risks associated with the chemicals.
It’s difficult to argue that these examples don’t illustrate a picture of corporations prioritizing profit over the safety of the public. This could enrage juries, leading to huge amounts of punitive damages intended to deter and punish this conduct.
Faced with a reputational and financial risk like this, we believe AFFF manufacturers will choose to agree to a global settlement rather than risk huge punitive damages being awarded by juries.
As for the value of these cases, our attorneys are predicting that these cases will be worth anywhere from $20,000 to $600,000, depending on the injuries involved and the length of AFFF exposure involved.
We believe that the cases involving the more dangerous forms of cancer, and involving occupational exposure which is long-term, will be worth between $300,000 and $600,000.
In other words, the more dangerous your cancer diagnosis and the longer your exposure was to AFFF, the more your case could be worth. The less severe and more mild your exposure, the less compensation you might be entitled to.
It’s vital to realize that these are simply predictions rather than guaranteed settlement ranges.
PFAS Settlement Examples
While no settlements have been reached in the AFFF cancer litigation, numerous settlements have been reached in other litigation involving PFAS chemicals. These settlements include:
- A $10.3 billion settlement involving 3M, PFAS chemicals and multiple towns and cities in the United States regarding water being contaminated by the chemicals
- A $4 billion settlement involving PFAS manufacturers such as DuPont, Corteva and Chemours
- A $850 million settlement involving 3M and groundwater in Minnesota being contaminated by PFAS chemicals
- A $750 million settlement involving firefighting foam, Carrier Global and Kidde-Fenwal
- A $50 million settlement involving DuPont, Corteva, Chemour, water polluted by PFAS chemicals, and the State of Delaware
- A $17.5 million settlement involving firefighting foam, Johnson Controls and Tyco Fire Products
Who Qualifies for an AFFF Settlement?
You may qualify for an AFFF settlement if you were exposed to AFFF firefighting foam, likely through your job, and were diagnosed with any of the following conditions:
- Thyroid cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Testicular cancer
- Thyroid disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- Liver cancer
Factors That Impact AFFF Settlement Amounts
Factors which could impact the value of your AFFF settlement include:
Severity of AFFF Exposure
Those who were exposed to more AFFF over a longer period of time may be eligible for more financial compensation than those who were exposed to less AFFF over a shorter period of time. Firefighters, especially firefighters stationed at airports or in the military, will likely have been exposed to firefighting foam at a higher rate than others.
Severity of Diagnosis
Those who are diagnosed with more dangerous forms of cancer may be eligible for more financial compensation than those who were diagnosed with less dangerous forms of cancer. The extent of the development of the cancer will also play a role in determining the value of a settlement.
Medical Costs
Much of the financial compensation in any AFFF lawsuit will be financial compensation for medical bills. Thus, those who have incurred more medical bills due to a condition caused by AFFF exposure may qualify for more compensation than those who have incurred less medical bills. Medical costs can include costs for things like chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery.
In addition, many victims of AFFF will require ongoing, future medical treatments, as well as future visits to psychologists, physical therapists, surgeons, nutritionists and others. Those with future care needs may be eligible for larger settlements.
Evidence of Exposure
Evidence that you were exposed to AFFF firefighting foam will be critical in terms of ensuring you are able to recover the financial compensation you deserve for your injuries.
The Experience of Your Lawyer
The experience of your attorney will play a large role in determining how much compensation you are ultimately eligible for.
We have been handling hazardous exposure cases since 1990. We have represented clients who have been exposed to hazardous substances such as asbestos, paraquat and Roundup. We have recovered over $750,000,000 for our clients, and our vast experience in handling hazardous exposure cases will allow us to recover the most compensation possible for you.
Call us today for a free consultation.
Steps to Pursue a Firefighting Foam Lawsuit
If you believe you are eligible for a lawsuit based on the criteria we outlined, it is important that you contact us for representation as the first step towards filing a lawsuit.
- Our experienced AFFF lawyers can:
- Determine if you are eligible to file a lawsuit
- Collect all evidence which is needed to put together a strong, convincing case
- Make sure your claim is filed before any applicable deadlines
- Negotiate an AFFF settlement for you
- If necessary, represent you in court
Should you have a viable case, our AFFF attorneys will handle each and every step of your case for you, and it won’t cost you a single penny out-of-pocket.
Evidence Needed for an AFFF Lawsuit
It is crucial to collect strong evidence in order to build a strong AFFF case.
You will need to present documentation which is detailed and connects your exposure to AFFF to your health issues.
This evidence will help to validate your claim and strengthen your potential for recovering compensation when it comes time to negotiate a settlement.
Important forms of evidence we can help you collect include:
- Medical records: This includes documentation of treatment, diagnosis, and any health conditions linked to your exposure to AFFF.
- Documentation of exposure: This includes documents such as incident reports or training logs which show that you were exposed to AFFF while at work.
- Employment history: This includes records which show you suffered occupation exposure, like job descriptions, military service records or firefighter logs.
- Witness statements: This includes testimony from supervisors or coworkers confirming that you were exposed to AFFF at work.
- Expert testimony: This includes testimony from environmental and medical experts who can link PFAS exposure to your health conditions.
- Product information: This includes manufacturer documents and safety data sheets which outline PFAS chemicals’ risks
- Environmental reports: This includes documentation that contamination has occurred in areas which saw AFFF use, like soil contamination studies or water quality reports
Who Is Liable in a Firefighting Foam Lawsuit?
It is alleged that AFFF manufacturers were aware of PFAS chemicals’ health risks as early as the 1940s. Despite knowing of these risks, the companies continued to sell AFFF containing harmful PFAS chemicals without warning about possible hazards to health. Due to their negligence as well as their failure to warn about PFAS chemicals’ health risks, the manufacturers of AFFF may be held liable for illnesses caused by PFAS chemicals.
Companies which have been named as defendants in AFFF lawsuits include:
- DuPont
- 3M Company
- Chemguard
- Chemours Company
- National Foam, Inc.
- Tyco Fire Products
- Buckeye Fire Equipment Co.
- Dynax Corporation
AFFF Exposure Health Effects
Medical conditions which may be associated with AFFF have been listed by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. These conditions include:
Child development issues
- Asthma
- Fertility problems
- Cholesterol increases
- Immune system changes
- Fetal damage
- Low birth weight
- Liver disease
- Thyroid disease
- Pregnancy-induced pre-eclampsia and hypertension
The PFAS chemicals in AFFF firefighting foam have also been linked with additional conditions, including:
- Thyroid cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Testicular cancer
- Thyroid disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- Liver cancer
How Much Does It Cost to Pursue a Firefighting Foam Settlement?
Our lawyers are contingency fee lawyers. This means that we don’t charge victims of AFFF any fee until and unless we recover compensation for them.
The only fee we charge AFFF victims is a percentage of any compensation we recover for them. We don’t charge AFFF victims any out-of-pocket fees or upfront fees. There is no risk involved in calling us, so call us today for a free consultation if you or a loved one developed cancer after being exposed to AFFF.
The Typical Plaintiffs for an AFFF Case
The plaintiffs in AFFF cases are usually those exposed to PFAS chemicals, typically through occupational exposure but sometimes through environmental exposure.
These plaintiffs will often include firefighters and military personnel who were regularly exposed to AFFF.
Additional plaintiffs might be civilians who have lived near industrial sites, airports or military bases where firefighting foam was used and led to water contamination as well as long-term risks to health.
Many plaintiffs have gotten diagnosed with severe health conditions such as cancer.
The lawsuits focus upon holding AFFF manufacturers responsible for distributing harmful products knowingly without adequately warning about the risks associated with the products.
Plaintiffs typically include:
- Civilian firefighters: This includes those in airport or municipal firefighting roles who utilized AFFF in training and emergencies, in addition to those who ended up wearing firefighting gear contaminated by PFAS chemicals.
- Military service members: This includes aircraft maintenance crew, firefighters and others who were exposed to AFFF regularly during service.
- Wastewater treatment workers: This includes workers who suffered PFAS exposure due to the processes of treating contaminated water.
- Industrial workers: This includes those who disposed of or manufactured AFFF, or worked where AFFF was used.
Is There an AFFF Class Action Lawsuit?
You may have heard or read terms like “AFFF class action lawsuit” or “AFFF class action MDL” and you may be wondering if there is an AFFF class action lawsuit you can join.
There is no class action lawsuit for those who have developed cancer after being exposed to AFFF firefighting foam. Rather, around 10,000 people have filed individual lawsuits seeking compensation for their injuries.
We are helping victims of AFFF firefighting foam file individual lawsuits rather than a class action lawsuit, as we believe that the victims will be able to recover far more money by filing individual lawsuits rather than a class action lawsuit.
How Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers Can Help
Call us today for a free consultation if you or a loved one has been exposed to AFFF firefighting foam and has been diagnosed with any of the following:
- Thyroid cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Testicular cancer
- Thyroid disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- Liver cancer
We can file a lawsuit on your behalf seeking financial compensation for medical expenses, loss of wages, lost earning capacity, pain and suffering, wrongful death and more.
We have been handling cases just like yours for over 30 years and have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of our clients.
Call us today for a free case evaluation.
Jeffrey Nadrich
Jeffrey Nadrich is a nationally-recognized California plaintiff’s personal injury attorney. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Hastings College of the Law. He has successfully represented thousands of injury clients over the last 40 years.
