Michigan property owners settle PFAS case for $54 million

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A judge has given tentative approval to a $54 million settlement involving 3M Co., a shoe manufacturer and property owners in western Michigan who said their land and wells were contaminated by toxic “forever chemicals.”

The deal involves approximately 1,700 properties north of Grand Rapids.

The compounds are in a category known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. They were long used in scores of industrial applications, don’t break down easily and can migrate from soil to groundwater.

“The settlement is fair, reasonable, adequate and meets the standards for preliminary approval,” U.S. District Judge Hala Jarbou said last week, setting a final fairness hearing for March 29.