Read the full article by Monique Merrill (Courthouse News Service)
“(CN) — A dozen chemical and firefighter equipment manufacturers on Thursday urged a federal judge to dismiss a class action claiming they concealed the dangers of PFAS chemicals in protective firefighting gear for decades.
‘We respectfully urge the court to follow what really every circuit court has done that’s addressed this and dismiss the case because there’s no controversy about whether the plaintiffs were or were not indirect purchasers. They were indirect purchasers,’ attorney Mark S. Cheffo of Dechert LLP, representing one of the defendants, argued.
In April 2025, the city and county of Butte-Silver Bow in Montana sued manufacturers of firefighter ‘turnout gear’ — the protective pants and jackets worn by firefighters — claiming the equipment contains PFAS chemicals linked to various cancers and diseases. By May 2026, 15 additional municipalities had joined the suit as plaintiffs.
The municipalities accused 3M and DuPont affiliates, including DuPont de Nemours, Chemours, EIDP and Corteva, of producing and distributing PFAS-infused gear and chemical products to turnout gear manufacturers Fire-Dex, Globe Manufacturing Company, W.L. Gore & Associates, Innotex Corp., the Lion Group and Morning Pride.”…