Johnson Controls Unit to Pay $750M to Settle ‘Forever Chemicals’ Lawsuit

Johnson Controls said on Friday its subsidiary had agreed to a $750 million settlement with some U.S. public water organizations that had detected “forever chemicals” allegedly associated with the use of certain products made by the company.

The settlement does not constitute an admission of liability or wrongdoing by Tyco Fire Products, Johnson Controls disclosed in a regulatory filing, adding that a charge for the amount was recorded in the second quarter ended March 31.

In 2023, lawsuits associated with “forever chemicals” or PFAS, which do not easily break down in the human body or environment, led to over $11 billion in settlements.

Earlier this month, 3M received a court approval for its $10.3 billion settlement with a host of U.S. public water systems to resolve water pollution claims tied to “forever chemicals.”

On Thursday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized the first federal regulations on toxic “forever chemicals” in drinking water, setting tight limits on the amount of PFAS present in public water.

Tyco expects to pay $250 million in settlement by May, and the remaining $500 million after six months of the preliminary court approval of the settlement.

The preliminary approval is expected around mid-May from the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, a multi-district legislation court.

(Reporting by Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)