Finding PFAS Cases
Several cases involve PFAS sludge application on farmland. Let me review the most relevant:
The strongest match is Rougeau v. Ahlstrom Rhinelander, LLC, 785 F.Supp.3d 438 (W.D. Wis. 2025).
The court denied the defendants’ motion to dismiss strict liability claims against paper companies that spread PFAS-laden sludge on farmland, finding that plaintiffs plausibly alleged the activity was abnormally dangerous.
Key Facts
Ahlstrom Rhinelander, a paper mill in Wisconsin, generated industrial sludge containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The sludge was applied to agricultural fields as a disposal method. Farmers whose land was contaminated sued under strict liability, negligence, trespass, and nuisance theories. The court found that applying PFAS-laden sludge to farmland was “an uncommon and inappropriate practice posing a high risk of harm to people or land that cannot be mitigated by reasonable care.”