Portland, Ore. (July 25, 2024) – Local Portland law firm, Stoll Berne, as outside counsel for the City of Seattle, along with its partners at Seattle’s Keller Rohrback, are pleased to announce the settlement of the City of Seattle v. Monsanto case for $160,000,000 ($160 Million). The lawsuit and settlement relate to the impairment of the Lower Duwamish Waterway (the lower portion of the only river in Seattle) allegedly caused by PCBs manufactured by Monsanto.
Trial was scheduled to start in this case on September 23, 2024, but the parties reached a settlement after a multi-day mediation. The City of Seattle case was originally filed in 2016. It was swept up into a class action on behalf of an alleged national class of cities and municipalities against Monsanto arising out of the alleged damage in those cities and municipalities caused by PCBs manufactured by Monsanto. That class action (entitled City of Long Beach v. Monsanto) settled in 2022. The City of Seattle opted out of the class action settlement and continued to prosecute its case on its own.
The City of Seattle settlement comes two years after the settlement of the State of Oregon v Monsanto case, which was also handled by Stoll Berne and its partners at Seattle’s Keller Rohrback law firm. That settlement was for $698,000,000 ($698 Million) and related to PCB damage allegedly caused by Monsanto to Oregon’s waters, fish and wildlife.