Two More Fire Departments Suing AFFF-PFAS Manufacturers

Posted by: Curt Varone March 29, 2023 0

Two additional fire departments have filed suit against the AFFF manufacturers. The Harrisville Fire District in Rhode Island and the North Collier Fire Control And Rescue District in Florida have filed suit against the chemical companies that manufacture polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Harrisville’s suit was filed in US District Court for the District of South Carolina, which has been designated as the court to hear multi-district litigation for PFAS, and more specifically allegations related to aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) containing perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and/or perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS).

North Collier filed suit in the Circuit Court of the Twentieth Judicial Circuit in and for Collier County earlier this year. One of the corporate defendants, Tyco Fire Products LP, has removed the case to the US District Court for the Middle district, where it presumably will be moved to the US District Court for the District of South Carolina.

Here is more information on the multi-district litigation aspect of the AFFF-PFAS problem.

Here are copies of the complaints:

US_DIS_SCD_2_23cv1229_d808076e901_COMPLAINT_against_All_Defendants_Filing_fee_402_reDownload

US_DIS_SCD_2_23cv1218_d964876e1007_COMPLAINT_and_NOTICE_OF_REMOVAL_from_Collier_CountDownload

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
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