3M Announces $7.35 Billion Agreement to Resolve Most AFFF Personal-Injury Claims

3M said Tuesday it has reached a broad resolution of personal-injury litigation tied to AFFF firefighting foam, committing the company to a pre-tax $7.35 billion nominal payment over nine years, with a present value of $5.8 billion. The announcement, made in a Nov. 3 press release, marks a major financial step in one of the largest PFAS-related legal battles facing the industrial conglomerate.

According to 3M, the agreement addresses about 99% of current personal-injury claims inside and outside the federal AFFF multidistrict litigation, or MDL. The company said roughly 115,000 to 120,000 plaintiffs are eligible to participate. Those details were disclosed by 3M in its press release; as of the reporting cutoff, a public settlement agreement, court filing or court approval had not been independently verified.

3M said the payment schedule calls for $50 million in 2026, no payments in 2027, and about 20% of the total payments to come in the final two years of the nine-year period. The company said the overall commitment includes a $680 million reserve fund. 3M also said it expects to record a pre-tax charge of $5.8 billion in the fourth quarter of 2026, reflecting the present value of the contributions under the agreement, and said the charge will be treated as a special item in adjusted results. The company said the resolution does not change its previously issued 2026 guidance.

“This settlement is a significant milestone for 3M and substantially reduces litigation uncertainty,” William Brown, 3M chairman and CEO, said in the company’s Nov. 3 press release. 3M also said, “This agreement is not an admission of liability.” The company said future or remaining personal-injury claims would be handled through several settlement mechanisms, including plaintiff participation thresholds, the reserve fund and an anticipated MDL court order setting evidentiary and timing rules for future litigants. As of late Tuesday, those terms had not been independently confirmed through public court records.

The litigation centers on AFFF, or aqueous film-forming foam, a firefighting foam used historically at military bases, airports and industrial sites. Many formulations contained PFAS, a class of chemicals that has fueled extensive environmental and health-related litigation. The personal-injury cases are part of the broader AFFF MDL in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, which has served as the main venue for federal cases over alleged harms linked to the foam.

The newly announced personal-injury resolution is separate from 3M’s earlier PFAS settlement with U.S. public water systems. In 2023, 3M entered that settlement with public water suppliers, and the company’s SEC disclosures later said it was approved in March 2024 and took effect in May 2024.

3M said additional details about the personal-injury resolution will be included in future SEC filings. The company also scheduled an investor teleconference for 8:30 a.m. ET on Nov. 4.