Video: PFAS Water Contamination Lawsuit: Act Now Before It’s Too Late!
April 15, 2025
Transcript
Introduction: Understanding the Discovery Rule and PFAS Water Contamination
Good afternoon. Attorney Tracy Paulsen here with Rightful Legal.
Today I wanted to dive into an important legal issue that affects many individuals and communities—that is, the discovery rule in the context of PFAS water contamination litigation.
PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” are synthetic chemicals that pose a significant health risk to human health due to their presence in our drinking water. They can lead to life-threatening injuries such as a myriad of cancers, even after only a short time of exposure.
Understanding how the legal concept of the discovery rule relates to these cases is crucial for those who may have been affected.
Legal Concept: The Discovery Rule Explained
So what exactly is the discovery rule in legal terms?
The discovery rule is a principle that impacts the statute of limitations, which is the time period for which one can bring a claim.
Essentially, it means that the clock on your time limit to file a claim does not start running until you became aware of your injury—or should reasonably have been aware of it.
This is especially relevant in PFAS cases, as many people may not immediately recognize that they have or had been exposed to these hazardous chemicals, often for extended periods of time without their knowledge.
PFAS Exposure: What You Didn’t Know
Imagine discovering that the drinking water in your town has been contaminated with PFAS only recently—or a long time ago—however, you were diagnosed with a PFAS-related injury like kidney cancer well over five years ago.
Without the discovery rule, in states like Massachusetts, for example, you would not be able to file a claim because you only have three years in Massachusetts to bring a personal injury claim— which typically starts from the date of injury or the date of diagnosis.
The discovery rule allows the clock to start ticking not from the date of diagnosis, but from when you became aware of the connection between PFAS and your injury.
Eligible Conditions for Lawsuit
Now here is where it gets really important. Right now, there is an opportunity for those who were diagnosed with injuries such as:
- Kidney cancer
- Testicular cancer
- Ulcerative colitis
…many, many years ago, to come forward and have a claim against the manufacturers of these forever chemicals.
This window, however, is not going to last long.
Only recently have the connections between these chemicals and these cancers and injuries become widely known. This means that the discovery rule is only going to be useful in PFAS personal injury cases for a very limited period of time.
Legal Timeframe: Limited Opportunity to Act
In addition to the discovery rule, the current pending personal injury PFAS water contamination lawsuit in the MDL is set for the first bellwether trials in October.
There are also rumors that this lawsuit may settle in the coming months.
This means that this lawsuit is moving forward pretty quickly.
Bellwether Trials & Possible Settlement News
The key takeaway of this video is that the time to file to be part of this pending lawsuit is very limited.
How to File Your PFAS Claim
If you have been diagnosed with:
- Kidney cancer
- Testicular cancer
- Thyroid cancer
- Liver cancer
- Ulcerative colitis
…please contact me at Rightful Legal as soon as possible to see if you may be eligible for this lawsuit.
Waiting may preclude you from bringing your claim forward. It may preclude you from getting the compensation that you deserve from the suffering and harm that you have experienced at the hands of these corporations who knew of these dangerous chemicals—and they did absolutely nothing.
Contact Information
Please feel free to contact me directly at 617-821-5856, or visit our website at rightfullegal.com and you can schedule a free, confidential consultation.
Final Thoughts & Legal Help
Many people might feel overwhelmed and uncertain about what steps to take—but being informed about your legal rights can help empower you to pursue justice effectively and to get the compensation you deserve.
Thank you so much.