Yes. Carpet manufacturers including Shaw Industries and Mohawk affiliates are being sued over PFAS.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are long-lasting chemicals once used in stain-resistant carpet treatments. The current cases come from cities, utilities and river groups seeking cleanup and treatment costs. They focus on factory discharges and wastewater, not payments to individual carpet buyers.
Official resources:
- Read the official notice from Ny — Use this primary source to verify the official announcement.
- Read the official notice from Epa — Use this primary source to verify the official announcement.
Table of Contents
- Who sued Shaw in South Carolina?
- Why did Dalton Utilities sue carpet and chemical companies?
- How was Rome's carpet PFAS case resolved?
- Can you file for money now?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Who sued Shaw in South Carolina?
Congaree Riverkeeper, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, filed a federal Clean Water Act lawsuit against Shaw Industries on July 2, 2024. The suit targets PFAS discharges into the Lower Saluda River from Shaw's 470-acre Columbia carpet-materials plant and leaking unlined lagoons, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center announcement. The filing says the pollution threatens a state scenic river and drinking-water sources for West Columbia and Cayce.
Congaree Riverkeeper also reported that the City of Columbia separately sued Shaw plus other firms over PFAS released upstream of its intakes. For nearby residents, the practical issue is drinking-water protection and river cleanup. This case seeks court-ordered pollution controls and compliance, not household reimbursement.
Why did Dalton Utilities sue carpet and chemical companies?
Dalton Utilities filed a federal lawsuit in December 2024 in the Northern District of Georgia over decades of PFAS sent to its wastewater system. It named Shaw, Mohawk subsidiary Aladdin Manufacturing, 3M, EIDP/DuPont, Chemours, Daikin and others, and seeks hundreds of millions of dollars, according to LegalClarity's report on the Dalton litigation. The utility argument is familiar in PFAS infrastructure cases. Treatment plants receive industrial wastewater, then face contamination and costly upgrades.
Dalton links that burden to carpet-treatment chemicals made and used around Dalton. Mohawk, with Mohawk Carpet and Aladdin, counter-sued chemical suppliers in Whitfield County Superior Court in November 2024. The carpet maker alleges 3M, DuPont, Chemours and Daikin sold carpet-treatment products for decades while concealing PFAS health and environmental risks. That dispute assigns blame upstream, but it does not create a consumer claim.
How was Rome's carpet PFAS case resolved?
The City of Rome, Georgia sued more than 30 carpet and chemical defendants in 2019 over PFAS stain-proofing agents from Dalton-area carpet plants. Rome then settled on May 30, 2023 with 3M, DuPont, Chemours and others for about $100M initially reported toward a $279M treatment program, according to the Insurance Journal settlement report. The money supports water treatment, including reverse-osmosis. Reverse osmosis pushes water through a fine membrane that removes many dissolved contaminants.
Rome's approach shows why utility cases seek large sums. For readers, Rome is also a limit on expectations. Its settlement funds a public water system, not checks to carpet owners. Dalton and Columbia-area claims follow the same public-cost pattern.
Can you file for money now?
No consumer settlement or carpet-buyer claim form is described in these filings. The New York Attorney General's July 9, 2026 lawsuit against 3M, EIDP, Chemours, Corteva and DuPont seeks liability, cleanup and abatement for PFAS pollution tied to consumer products. State enforcement can lead to cleanup funds, but it is not a household payout program. A second limit matters for current buyers.
Shaw and Mohawk told investigators they stopped using PFAS in U.S. carpet production in 2019 and complied with regulators, as reported in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation. Older carpet and legacy wastewater contamination remain the focus of cleanup claims. If you live near Dalton, Rome, Columbia, West Columbia or Cayce, take these practical steps:.
- Save recent water-utility notices, annual water-quality reports and medical-expense records in one folder.
- Write down your water supplier, service address and dates of residence.
- Follow your city or utility website for treatment updates and any future claim instructions.
- Do not discard old carpet samples, receipts or installation records if your home had stain-resistant carpet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does owning stain-resistant carpet qualify me for compensation?
The cases described here seek river cleanup and wastewater-treatment costs for public systems. They do not offer a carpet-purchase refund.
Are companies still adding PFAS to new U.S. carpet?
Shaw and Mohawk have said they ended PFAS use in U.S. carpet production in 2019. The lawsuits focus largely on earlier use and remaining contamination.