Skip to Content

Stay Informed

Jury Awards Over $12 Million In PFOA Contamination Lawsuit

Published 1.5.17

Paint and chemical giant, DuPont, was hit on December 21, 2016 with a $2 million verdict stemming from allegations that its chemical, perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA, was responsible for the plaintiff’s testicular cancer. That verdict included a finding of actual malice and was followed up earlier this week by an award of punitive damages against the company in the amount of $10.5 million.

Kenneth Vigneron, a fifty-year-old man, claimed his cancer was caused by drinking water contaminated with the chemical, PFOA, an ingredient in Teflon. The jury awarded damages for negligence and found DuPont’s conduct malicious. This is the third case in over 3,500 pending lawsuits where a jury has found DuPont liable for injuries as a result of exposure to PFOA in drinking water sources.

The jury returned a verdict against DuPont even though Mr. Vigneron was diagnosed with testicular cancer in his 20s, had been cancer-free for almost 20 years, and has not seen an oncologist in seven years. Evidence was presented that DuPont’s own studies showed that PFOA could cause cancer, and that residents were not aware of the risk of drinking PFOA-contaminated water until 2012.

Over 40 more PFOA lawsuits are set for trial this year in federal court in Ohio and West Virginia. Testing has shown the presence of PFOA, and related compound PFOS, both of which are primary components in the manufacture of Teflon and Teflon-containing products, in drinking water across the nation, including in Tulare, San Joaquin, Sacramento, Riverside, Orange and Butte counties in California.

Walsworth handles and has tried large chemical exposure cases and environmental contamination cases involving numerous chemicals, ranging from benzene to carbon monoxide.