"A federal judge won’t order a new trial in a closely watched PFAS case against DuPont that resulted in a $50 million verdict against the company earlier this year.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio on Thursday denied DuPont’s request to declare a mistrial after a jury in March sided with cancer survivor Travis Abbott and his wife, Julie, awarding them damages for exposure to a type of PFAS the company produced at a facility along the Ohio River.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are known as “forever chemicals” for their ability to build up and stick around in the environment. Some types have been linked to cancer and other serious health problems. DuPont’s failed mistrial motion is the latest development in a fast-growing landscape of PFAS litigation, with hundreds of cases pending across the U.S. against chemical companies and others down the supply chain.
DuPont had moved for a mistrial almost immediately after the jury issued the $50 million verdict against the company, accusing Judge Edmund A Sargus Jr. of injecting bias into the case."
Ellen M. Gilmer and Alex Ebert report for Bloomberg Environment December 31, 2021.
