Settlement Structure: Claims Made
Active: Closed
Closed Settlement Statement:
According to court documents, the claim submission deadline has passed. Please contact the claims administrator if you have any questions.
Case Summary:Wolverine World Wide, Inc. and the 3M Company will be paying $54 million to settle a class action about the contamination of properties and groundwater with per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the North Kent Study Area of Michigan. According to the complaint, the contamination occurred when Wolverine used PFAS sourced from 3M over several decades to manufacture shoes in Rockford, Michigan, so that the PFAS is now found in the drinking water in private wells and has reduced property values. A map in the Notice shows the contaminated area.
Docket Number:1:17-cv-1062
Company: Wolverine World Wide, Inc.
Filing Deadline: January 17, 2023
Class Period: November 1, 2017
Objection Deadline: December 5, 2022
Exclusion Deadline: December 5, 2022
Final Approval Hearing: March 29, 2023
Proof of Purchase:You must submit proof of ownership of your property as of November 1, 2017, such as a copy of a deed to the property, a copy of a tax bill, or a mortgage statement.
Eligibility:You may be eligible if you are or were an owner of real property located in the North Kent Study Area of Michigan as of November 1, 2017, and you were not supplied with drinking water from a municipal water source as of that date. Three subclasses have been defined:
- Subclass 1, Municipal Water Extension: Class members who were transitioned to municipal water or who are scheduled to do so under the EGLE/Wolverine Consent Decree.
- Subclass 2, Filtration Systems: Class members who were offered or received a filtration system from Wolverine or its agents under the EGLE/Wolverine Consent Decree to treat their well water and who are not members of Subclass 1.
- Subclass 3, Other: Class members who are not in either of the above subclasses.
Certain persons are excluded, including persons who previously filed a claim against 3M or Wolverine alleging a PFAS injury or illness, or seeking medical monitoring or property damages related to the presence of PFAS in environmental media or in their persons.
Typical Settlement Amount:Settlement funds will be distributed to class members according to a Plan of Allocation that takes into consideration (1) the levels of Michigan-regulated PFAS compounds measured in the class member’s well, (2) whether the property has been or will be connected to a municipal water source after November 1, 2017 pursuant to the consent decree, (3) whether the property will remain on and require the use of a home filtration system maintained by Wolverine pursuant to the consent decree, (4) the number of members living in the household as of November 1, 2017, (5) whether the property is vacant, and (6) how long the class member has owned the property. See Exhibit A at the settlement website.
Total Settlement Amount: $54,000,000
Class Representative Proposed Incentive Fee:$25,000
Law Firms:
Motley Rice LLC
The Miller Law Firm PC
Claim Form: Wolverine 3M Class Settlement Claim Form
Case Name: Zimmerman, et al. v. The 3M Co., et al.
Settlement Website: Wolverine 3M Class Settlement Website
Claims Administrator:
Angeion Group
Zimmerman v. The 3M Company
General Administrator
1650 Arch St, Ste 2210
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Info@Wolverine3MClassSettlement.com
833-383-1161