Jury awards $10.5 million in case involving DuPont C8 chemical

169
Advertisement

 

A jury in Ohio has awarded $10.5 million in a case involving DuPont and the C8 chemical used in the production of Teflon, the Columbus Dispatch and other media outlets reported.

The case is one of 3,500 faced by DuPont regarding the chemical’s use at the Washington Works on the Ohio River in West Virginia.

DuPont spokesman Daniel Turner issued the following:

“We are disappointed in the verdict, which we will appeal.  We believe the verdict was the result of trial rulings that misrepresented the findings of an independent science panel and misled jurors about the risks of C8 exposure.”

Advertisement

The plant is now operated by DuPont spin-off Chemours, which released the following statement from Cynthia Salitsky, spokesperson for the company:

“We expect DuPont to appeal the verdict, subject to post-trial motions, to address important, unresolved issues that affect the broader, ongoing multi-district litigation (MDL). Of the 3500 claims in the MDL, the majority allege high cholesterol and thyroid disease, not cancer diagnoses.  Each of these claims will be evaluated on an individual basis due to the unique facts present in every case. Litigation of this kind typically takes place over many years, and interim results do not predict the ultimate outcome.  As previously disclosed, DuPont is the named defendant in each of the cases and is liable for any judgment.  In the event DuPont claims it is entitled to indemnification from Chemours as to some or all of the judgment, Chemours retains its defenses to such claims.” 

Chemours’s stock price has been affected during the past year by concerns over possible liabilities from C8 cases and the offloading of environmental liabilities from DuPont to Chemours.

Shares of Chemours are down from a 52-week  high of $27 a share to about $22 in Thursday trading. DuPont shares a down a couple of dollars from the 52-week high of $76 a share.

Awareness of the suits and health issues involving C8  grew with the publication a story last year in the New York Times magazine The News Journal followed with a similar   special report  of its own later in the year.  

Advertisement
Advertisement