The Warminster Municipal Authority, which serves about 40,000 water customers in or near the township, intends to soon file suit against the manufacturers of firefighting foams that have contaminated its groundwater supply.
As reported by this news organization, the authority’s board voted unanimously at an April 27 special meeting to enter into an agreement with Anapol Weiss, a Philadelphia law firm, to investigative the possibility of bringing a suit against the manufacturers.
“Anapol Weiss has determined that legal action against certain manufacturers of AFFF (aqueous film-forming foam) is viable and appropriate, and intends to file suit quickly,” Nemeroff wrote.
“The identities of the defendants in the lawsuit will be disclosed once the lawsuit is filed.” Asked about any financial arrangements, Nemeroff wrote the firm has been retained on a contingent fee basis, meaning the authority will not pay any money unless it is awarded money from a settlement or court verdict.
Lead counsel for Anapol Weiss will be Larry Cohan, who Nemeroff wrote has “extensive experience” in environmental exposure and mass tort cases.
He more recently won a $7.4 million settlement for mesothelioma sufferers, according to the site.
Attorneys in those cases are generally charging that the companies knew their products could be harmful but sold them anyway and without proper warning.
The foams were used by the military at several Bucks and Montgomery County bases, where they reached groundwater through larger accidental hangar releases and regular training exercises.
The military has agreed to pay local water authorities for wells contaminated above a safety limit recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency.
However, the military has not agreed to pay for Warminster’s plan to remove all of the chemicals from its drinking water supply.