Chemurs residents are preparing for a collective claim

Legal counsel Eric Meagher wants to file a civil lawsuit with Chemours and to court in November. More than a thousand people who live near the plant have now reported it via the C8 Claim website.

C8 stands for PFOA, the harmful substance that was used in the plant until 2012 as a catalyst in the production process. “There are many horrific cases, especially of employees and contract workers,” says Meagher, who investigates the stories for legal viability with his legal team.

The lawyer believes his civil suit has a greater chance of success than attorney Benedict Vick’s mass advertisement. On Monday it submitted a report on behalf of some 3,000 people to the job office of the Public Prosecution Service in Amsterdam against all directors of Chemours and its predecessor DuPont since 1962.

Long prison terms

The well-known criminal attorney wants to prosecute executives for “intentionally and unlawfully” introducing a substance into the soil, air or surface water, in this case harmful PFOA and GenX. It is punishable by imprisonment from twelve to fifteen years. Ficq invokes Section 173a of the Criminal Code.

The municipalities of Dordrecht, Sladerecht, Papendrecht and Möllenlanden have been filing lawsuits against Chemours for some time. They hold the company liable for all damages that will result from emissions of harmful substances that fall under PFAS. The judge will rule in this case on September 27.

Lawyer Meijer, who has been a member of the Dordrecht City Council for many years, wants to organize a conference in a few months at which experts will talk about harmful substances and soil and water treatment. In a letter to the province of South Holland, he referred to the massive wall that would be put up around the Chemours plant in the US, to prevent the polluted groundwater beneath the plant from ending up in the nearby river. The factory is also located in Dordrecht along the river.

Chemours board members recently explained the business activities in Dordrecht during hearings in the House of Representatives and the South Holland Regional Council. Despite repeated requests, Chemours has yet to respond to legal action.

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Residents who live near the Chemours factory in Dordrecht were able to tell their story to the regional council on Friday. “How can a plant be allowed to discharge pfas for decades?”