Attorneys spearheading the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) class action lawsuit against DuPont de Nemours Inc., Chemours Co., among other chemical companies, have recently requested a considerable $94.8 million in attorney’s fees, according to a report by Bloomberg Law.
The lawsuit was initiated by municipalities accusing the afore-mentioned companies of contaminating their drinking water with toxic PFAS. Notably, the requested amount equates to only 8% of the near $1.2 billion class action settlement that was agreed upon back in June.
The details disclosed in the filing further reveal that, of the $94.8 million requested, approximately 5%, or around $4.7 million, will be reserved for legal costs associated with the continued administration of the settlement until 2030 (Document link).
The counsel, comprised of members from Douglas & London PC, Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, Baron & Budd PC, Fegan Scott LLC, and Motley Rice LLC, have stated that they collectively committed 414,900 hours of work to this case.
The settlement reached in June between the accused chemical companies and the affected municipalities was one of the largest in environmental law history – the PFAS pact amounted to a whopping $1.19 billion (Settlement link). As this case continues to unfold, it serves as a significant precedent for other PFAS-related lawsuits across the nation.