Bill Brewer Led 3M’s Defense in a Multibillion-Dollar Environmental Enforcement Action
Bill represented 3M in a major environmental lawsuit brought by the State of Minnesota concerning PFAS contamination in the state’s East Metro, where Minnesota alleged that 3M’s manufacture and disposal of PFAS had contaminated groundwater, drinking water, and natural resources. The case, filed in 2010, involved claims centered on natural-resource damages, negligence, public nuisance, and hazardous disposal, as well as significant disputes concerning causation, evidence, and the coordination of the case with federal PFAS multidistrict litigation.
In 2018, Minnesota and 3M reached an $850 million court-approved settlement, with approximately $720 million designated for drinking-water projects and natural-resource restoration. The case became an influential example of using natural-resource litigation to fund large-scale environmental restoration and drinking-water infrastructure in response to PFAS contamination.