➣As of November 15, 2022, more than 3500 AFFF lawsuits have been filed throughout the federal court system, including firefighter cancer lawsuits and water contamination lawsuits being pursued against manufacturers of the firefighting foam.

➣U.S. District Judge Richard M. Gergel presides over all pretrial proceedings in the District of South Carolina as part of an MDL or multidistrict litigation.

➣The first firefighting foam bellwether trials are expected to begin in mid-2023 to help gauge how juries are likely to respond to specific evidence and testimony that will be repeated throughout thousands of cases.

➣Firefighting foam lawyers are still investigating and pursuing new lawsuits for firefighters diagnosed with testicular cancer, kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, bladder cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, or other tumors following exposure to PFAS chemicals in AFFF.

October 2022 Update: An AFFF lawsuit over water contamination in Stuart, Florida, has been selected for the first bellwether trial, which will go before a jury in June 2023 to help the parties gauge how juries are likely to respond to specific evidence and testimony that will be brought against the manufacturers of firefighting foam and toxic PFAS chemicals.

September 2022 Update: Judge Gergel has denied an attempt by 3M Company to escape liability in AFFF lawsuits under a government contractor defense. He found that the manufacturer failed to disclose information to the U.S. government or scientific community about the risks associated with PFAS chemicals in the firefighting foam. This important ruling will allow thousands of claims to move forward and hold the firefighting foam manufacturers accountable for placing profits before the safety of firefighters and others.