Jurors awarded $2 million in the latest case involving a chemical tied to DuPont’s production of Teflon and its effect on the water supply.
CNBC reported that jurors found “actual malice” in DuPont’s actions over the C-8 chemical used in making the coating that has been linked to cancer cases.
DuPont is dealing with a highly publicized wave of lawsuits over the chemical.
“We are declining comment until the completion of the second phase of the trial,” stated DuPont spokesman Daniel Turner.
Chemours, which now operates the Washington Works plant along the Ohio River near Parkersburg, WV, issued the following:
“Additional trials are expected, and they will be defended on an individual basis under the facts and circumstances of each case. This type of litigation typically takes place over many years, and interim results do not predict the final outcome of cases. It is important to note that DuPont is the named defendant in each of the cases and is liable for any judgment. We will have further comments when the trial is over,” stated Cynthia Salitsky, Chemours spokesperson.
Concern over the possible liability in the cases contributed to shares in Chemours dropping sharply earlier in the year. Chemours was spun off from DuPont in the summer of 2015.
Investors have been more upbeat as Chemours made its case regarding DuPont being the named defendant in the lawsuits.
Early this year, the effects of the chemical on the population in the area around the plant was the subject of a New York Times Magazine article on DuPont’s actions.
The article was widely read in Delaware and elsewhere. The News Journal followed with a “long form” package of its own months later.
