Someone Sued DuPont for Poisoning the Drinking Water and Won

DuPont has been dumping the chemical, C8 (Perfluorooctanoic Acid), into the water supply near its facility in West Virginia for decades, igniting too many lawsuits to count. Carla Bartlett of Ohio is the first in over 3,500 lawsuits against the company to actually win. DuPont has known of the chemical’s toxicity since the 1950’s, but continued to manufacturer it.

DuPont was found negligent and was forced to award Bartlett $1.6 million. The verdict included $1.1 million against DuPont for damages arising from its negligence and $500,000 additional compensation for the emotional distress which Bartlett suffered as a result of DuPont’s conduct.

Bartlett is among others in Ohio and West Virginia who are stepping up to sue DuPont for cancers and illnesses related to DuPont’s chemicals which the corporation had been improperly disposing of and dumping into drinking water for decades, all the while being fully aware of the effects on human health.

Mike Papantonio, one of Bartlett’s attorneys, said:

 “[DuPont] picked this case with the idea that it was the most winnable. Strategically they never dreamed we’d win this case.”

DuPont has known that C8 causes testicular tumors in rats – and even classified C8 as a possible carcinogen; however, rather than reporting these developments:

“They hid this information from the public for at least 16 years,” Mike Papantonio told the jury.

This is a precedent-setting case since DuPont is among the Big 6 GMO and chemical ‘eco-terrorists’ which are polluting the planet and ruining our health. Hopefully this verdict will send a message to DuPont and its kind who engage in similar conduct placing profits ahead of public health. The next trial will be in Columbus on November 30, 2015.

You can watch the video interview with Mike Papantonio that came out when these lawsuits were first announced here