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Door County authorizes contingent-fee counsel to join PFAS litigation over firefighting foam and soil contamination
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Summary
The county voted to retain outside counsel on a 25% contingency fee basis to join multidistrict litigation targeting PFAS/PFOS manufacturers, citing potential contamination at airports and other county sites; council said expenses will be shared among participating governments.
The Door County Board voted to authorize the county to retain outside counsel on a contingency-fee basis to participate in multidistrict litigation (MDL) related to PFAS/PFOS contamination.
Supervisor Thais presented Resolution 2026-33, and corporation counsel explained the action would allow the county to join existing national litigation against manufacturers of PFAS-containing products, particularly relating to firefighting foam and soil contamination near airports and other county properties. Corporation counsel said the agreement is contingent-fee (25%) and that litigation expenses would be shared among participating municipalities.
“It's very similar to a class action,” Corporation Counsel Sean said, describing the MDL and saying the county would pursue manufacturers to reimburse costs for testing, remediation and other harms if contamination is found. Sean added that this litigation is separate from recent state legislative actions providing DNR authority and funding for PFAS remediation.
Supervisor Norton asked how many counties had signed on; corporation counsel said initial interest involved several counties and participation is expected to ramp up. The resolution passed by voice vote.
