Focused case guide
AFFF Settlement: Water Systems and Injury Claims
AFFF settlement headlines can describe compensation for public water systems or developments in individual injury litigation. The recipient and claim type matter before any amount or deadline can be understood.
Guide reviewed: . Litigation data reviewed: .
Lawsuit status — September 2026
AFFF Firefighting Foam (PFAS) Lawsuit
Verified September 14, 2026
- MDL
- MDL-2873
- Court
- D.S.C.
- Judge
- Judge Richard M. Gergel
- Pending cases
- 15,264
- +18 since prior report
- Current phase
- Personal-injury discovery; water-system settlement administration
- Settlement status
- final approved, claims administration — water systems only
- Latest development
- JPML reports 15,264 pending actions on September 1, 2026, compared with 15,246 on August 3; 19,840 total historical actions are reported separately.
- Next major event
- November 20, 2026 — Group B proposals due
Verified settlement record
The entries below use the same reviewed case record as the national guide. Each program has its own scope.
3M — public water systems
final approved, claims administration — water systems only
$10.5 billion to $12.5 billion paid over 13 years to public water systems for PFAS contamination, per the official settlement FAQ. Final approval entered by Judge Gergel (fairness hearing February 2, 2024). Compensates water utilities, not individuals.
DuPont / Chemours / Corteva — public water systems
final approved, claims administration — water systems only
$1.185 billion settlement resolving claims of roughly 14,000 public water systems. Final approval entered following the December 14, 2023 fairness hearing.
Tyco Fire Products / Chemguard — public water systems
final approved, claims administration — water systems only
$750 million settlement; final approval order entered November 2024 (ECF 6406).
BASF — public water systems
final approved, claims administration — water systems only
$316.5 million total ($312.5M settlement amount + $4M notice/administration); agreement signed May 20, 2024, final approval entered November 22, 2024.
Personal-injury claims
none
The official administrator identifies four finally approved settlements for eligible public water systems. These contamination settlements do not compensate individual injury claims. A review of the public MDL orders and administrator website on September 14, 2026 did not identify a global personal-injury settlement or an official individual payout schedule.
Who receives the public water system settlements?
The court-supervised administrator identifies four finally approved settlements involving 3M, DuPont-related entities, Tyco/Chemguard, and BASF. They address claims involving PFAS contamination in public water systems' drinking water. Those utility settlements should not be presented as an individual cancer payout program. Source: official PFAS water settlement administrator.
For a settlement headline, first identify the named defendant, the covered class, the type of loss, and the official agreement. A dollar amount without those details is not enough to evaluate whether the announcement concerns the claim you are researching.
How personal-injury claims differ
The AFFF court maintains a separate set of personal-injury case-management orders. Its August 15, 2025 Order No. 35 addresses specified injury categories and proof requirements and vacated the October 2025 bellwether trial setting. That order is not a public payout schedule. Source: CMO 35.
For the currently verified personal-injury settlement posture, read the dated record above and its source. Keep a personal exposure and diagnosis file separate from a utility's testing or treatment-cost file. Sharing an MDL number does not make the two files interchangeable.
The national AFFF guide covers the allegations and current case management. Defendants dispute the allegations. The MDL 2873 guide explains the federal proceeding and points to the court's records.
How to assess a settlement announcement
- Recipient: does the agreement cover a public water system, an individual, or another defined group?
- Scope: which defendants, claims, products, and time periods does it address?
- Stage: is the document a proposal, an approval order, or a notice about claims administration?
- Calculation: is the number a total fund, an allocation formula, or an award to a specific claimant?
- Action: which form, supporting documents, and submission instructions apply?
This checklist is a reading aid. It does not establish membership in a settlement or calculate a recovery. Read the agreement's actual definitions and ask the administrator to clarify its procedures.
Water-system deadlines are program-specific
The administrator publishes separate deadlines for different defendants, phases, and claim forms. A later supplemental-fund date should not be read as a blanket extension of earlier claim deadlines. Source: official administrator's deadline table.
Record the exact name of the form and the source of its deadline. For individual injury litigation, use the state guides below and obtain a review of the applicable filing rules. The site's deadline tracker is a public research index, not a determination of a person's filing date.
State context and filing deadlines
These state guides provide local context. A state overview cannot determine a deadline for an individual claim.