NOT ADMITTING WRONGDOING, DUPONT AGREES TO $108 MILLION SETTLEMENT - Additional $235 Million Attached

(03/01/2005)
DuPont in Wood County has agreed to a $108 million class action lawsuit settlement, while not admitting any wrongdoing.

Another $235 million is attached to the settlement.

Wood County Circuit Judge George Hill has given his approval to the multi-million settlement in a class action lawsuit filed by residents of four counties in West Virginia and Ohio.

Residents living near the company's Washington Works facility in Wood County say the chemical C-8 contaminated their drinking water and is responsible for a number of illnesses suffered by several residents over the years.

C-8 is a chemical that's used in the making of Teflon.

Dupont has agreed to pay for an independent study to take a look at the effects of C-8 on humans.

If there is a link between the chemical and human illness, Dupont must spend up to another $235 million dollars on a medical monitoring program for those who have gotten ill.

Dupont has also agreed to pay for the legal fees and other expenses incurred by the claimants. In addition, the company will also provide local water utilities with new treatment equipment.