Wolverine Worldwide and 3M have reached a settlement with landowners around Rockford and Belmont in Kent County, Michigan, as our American colleagues at SGI are reporting.
Facing a class-action lawsuit over the contamination of local drinking water by tannery sludge (in the form of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS), the companies have agreed to pay $54 million in damages, to be split by severity of contamination between some 1,700 owners. The companies would at the same time deny the lawsuit’s allegations and any wrongdoing. The foregoing is subject to the judge’s approval and excludes some 275 other landowners, who have filed separate lawsuits.
Wolverine is preparing to build a cap atop the waste buried at its former dump but has not treated the contaminated groundwater at its former tannery along the Rogue River in Rockford. In addition, Wolverine has been making payments over the years and accrued a liability to pay for the ultimate settlement. The company has increased its accrual for litigation by $37.8 million since January and made related payments of $50.1 million. Wolverine spent $73.9 million on environmental and related costs in 2021, according to its annual report.
