New York wants the makers of Scotchgard and Teflon-era chemistry to pay for cleaning up "forever chemicals" statewide — and to put warnings on any PFAS product still being sold.
Allegations Only · Newly Filed Suit
This article describes a newly filed government lawsuit. The statements below are the State of New York's allegations. No court has found 3M, DuPont, Chemours, Corteva or any other defendant liable, this is not a class action, and there is nothing for consumers to claim at this time. This page is informational and is not legal advice.
What Is This About?
New York Attorney General Letitia James sued some of the country's largest chemical companies on July 9, 2026, alleging they spent decades polluting the state with PFAS "forever chemicals" while hiding what they knew about the health risks. The 74-page complaint, filed in the New York State Supreme Court in Albany County, names 3M Company, DuPont de Nemours, EIDP Inc. (the former E.I. du Pont de Nemours entity), The Chemours Company, and Corteva as defendants.The state's core allegation is deception: that the companies understood for roughly 50 years that the PFAS in everyday products were toxic, persistent, and building up in people's bodies — and sold them anyway, without warning consumers or regulators. "Big companies like 3M and DuPont knowingly sold toxic products that threatened New Yorkers' health and polluted our environment for decades. It's time for them to pay for the damage they caused," James said in announcing the suit. The companies had not responded publicly to the lawsuit as of this writing, and none has been found liable.
What the Lawsuit Alleges the Companies Knew
The complaint's most striking allegations reach back half a century into the companies' own research, according to the attorney general's office:- In the 1970s, 3M researchers allegedly found PFAS in blood samples taken from the company's own employees — and from the general public — and understood the chemicals were toxic.
- In 1981, DuPont allegedly monitored 50 female employees who had been exposed to a PFAS product, including seven who were pregnant. Two of the seven pregnant workers had babies with birth defects. The state alleges DuPont told neither its employees nor regulators, and kept manufacturing and selling the product.
- In 1983, 3M scientists allegedly concluded that PFAS could reach water supplies through wastewater, yet the company allegedly failed for decades to run the environmental risk assessments its own researchers recommended.
Each of those claims comes from the state's filing and remains to be proven in court. Legal observers have noted that the suit is among the first by any state to press a failure-to-warn theory against PFAS makers over ordinary consumer goods, rather than industrial discharges or firefighting foam alone — a framing that could matter for other states weighing similar cases.
What Are PFAS, and Where Were They Used?
PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are a family of man-made chemicals developed roughly 80 years ago for one talent: repelling water, oil, and stains. That made them ubiquitous. They went into 3M's Scotchgard fabric and carpet protector, nonstick cookware associated with DuPont's Teflon, grease-resistant food packaging, water-repellent clothing, cosmetics, and the AFFF firefighting foam used to smother jet-fuel fires. The same durability that made them useful earned them the "forever chemicals" nickname: they resist breaking down in the environment and accumulate in the human body. Studies have linked PFAS exposure to health problems including certain cancers, developmental effects in children, and other conditions.The manufacturing landscape has shifted under the weight of regulation and litigation. In December 2022, 3M announced it would exit PFAS manufacturing by the end of 2025, and the company says it completed that exit on schedule — though it has cautioned that some purchased components may still contain PFAS. The New York complaint alleges the deception continued even as the companies began phasing some chemicals out.
What New York Is Asking For
The state wants the court to hold the companies liable for the environmental and public-health consequences of PFAS exposure from their products, and to order them to:- Fund PFAS cleanup efforts across New York State.
- Stop selling products containing harmful PFAS without adequate warning labels.
- End misleading advertising about the chemicals and products containing them.
- Pay damages, disgorge profits earned through the alleged deception, and pay restitution and financial penalties.
Press coverage of the filing describes the complaint's legal theories as including public nuisance, product liability, and deceptive-practices claims under New York's business laws.
How This Fits the Bigger PFAS Legal Fight
New York is not starting from scratch. In 2018, the state brought what it billed as the first state lawsuit against the manufacturers of PFAS-based firefighting foam over groundwater contamination near airports and air bases — also filed in Albany County. Closer to home for many New Yorkers, the Hoosick Falls PFOA contamination produced a federal class settlement worth more than $92 million, including the $27 million DuPont payment that completed the deal. And just last month, New York fire districts filed their own proposed class action against 3M, DuPont and gear makers over PFAS in firefighter turnout gear.Other states have already extracted large sums. New Jersey reached a settlement valued at more than $2 billion with DuPont, Chemours and Corteva in 2025, after a separate deal with 3M worth up to $450 million. Nationally, 3M agreed in 2023 to pay up to $10.3 billion to public water systems over PFAS contamination. Whether New York's consumer-products framing produces a comparable result — through trial or settlement — is the question this case will answer.
What Happens Next
The defendants will respond to the complaint in the coming months, likely starting with motions to dismiss. DuPont de Nemours has said in past PFAS litigation that it never manufactured PFOA, PFOS, or firefighting foam, and that it should not be conflated with the legacy liabilities of the historical E.I. du Pont business that was split among Chemours, Corteva, and EIDP — a corporate-history dispute that is likely to resurface here. State PFAS cases of this scale have historically taken years, and several have ended in nine- and ten-figure settlements rather than verdicts.There is nothing for individual New Yorkers to file or claim in this case. If you believe you have been exposed to PFAS-contaminated water or products, OCA tracks the separate PFAS lawsuits and settlements that do offer individual paths. We will update this page as the Albany County case develops.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is New York suing over PFAS forever chemicals?
Attorney General Letitia James filed the lawsuit on July 9, 2026 in the New York State Supreme Court in Albany County against 3M Company, DuPont de Nemours, EIDP Inc. (the former E.I. du Pont entity), The Chemours Company, and Corteva. The 74-page complaint alleges the companies knew for roughly 50 years that PFAS were toxic and kept selling them in consumer products without warning the public. Those are the state's allegations; the companies have not been found liable.
What does New York's PFAS lawsuit ask for?
The state is asking a court to hold the companies liable for the environmental and public-health effects of PFAS exposure and to make them fund cleanup efforts statewide. It also seeks an order stopping the sale of products containing harmful PFAS without adequate warnings, an end to misleading advertising, plus damages, disgorgement of profits, restitution and penalties.
What are PFAS and why are they called forever chemicals?
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a family of man-made chemicals developed roughly 80 years ago for their water-, oil- and stain-resistant properties. They have been used in products like Scotchgard fabric protector, Teflon nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, grease-resistant food packaging, cosmetics and firefighting foam. They are nicknamed forever chemicals because they resist breaking down in the environment and can build up in the human body. Studies have linked PFAS exposure to health problems including certain cancers and developmental effects.
Can I file a claim in New York's PFAS lawsuit?
No. This is a government enforcement action brought by the state, not a class action, so there is no claim form for individuals. Separate PFAS-related class actions and settlements do exist — such as the Hoosick Falls water contamination settlement — and any consumer recovery from this suit would only come later if New York wins or settles. This page will be updated as the case develops.
Sources
• New York Attorney General — announcement of the PFAS lawsuit (July 9, 2026)• Courthouse News — New York sues 3M, DuPont over forever chemicals
• Reuters (via CNBC) — New York sues 3M, DuPont, others over forever chemicals in consumer goods
• WXXI / New York Public News Network — NY attorney general sues chemical companies for PFAS pollution
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