Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe sues 3M, other companies over PFAS contamination

The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that several companies contaminated its water with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

The defendants of the lawsuit are listed as 3M Company, BASF Corporation, The Chemours Company FC, LLC; Corteva, Inc.; Dupont De Nemours, Inc.; E.I. Du Pont De Nemours and Company; and Tyco Fire Products, L.P. The lawsuit alleges they “designed, manufactured, formulated, marketed, promoted, distributed, sold and/or assumed or acquired liabilities for the manufacture and/or sale of PFAS products that have contaminated, or continue to contaminate the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe’s Reservation.”

In the lawsuit, which can be viewed below, the Band charges the companies with one count of public nuisance, one count of negligence, one count of product liability, one count of unjust enrichment. 3M is additionally charged with cost recovery under the Minnesota Environmental Response and Liability Act (MERLA), and the DuPont defendants are charged with fraudulent transfer.

The Band says in the lawsuit that its culture, religious practices and subsistence depend on the land and water resources on the Leech Lake Reservation, which has become contaminated with PFAS.

PFAS have been called “forever chemicals” because of their inability to break down in the environment, as well as the human body. Consumption of PFAS has been linked to various health concerns.

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The Band says it tested its 11 public drinking water systems in 2022 and found PFAS in the water supply for one of its schools. It has ceased use of the school’s public water system and supplies the school with bottled water.

In 2023, the band tested six species of fish from Cass Lake and Pike Bay. Toxic levels of PFAS were found in “nearly all species of fish in both lakes,” the lawsuit states. The species includes walleye, white fish, perch and pike — all of which are essential to the diets of Band members.

Samplings of the livers of 22 deer in 2025 also showed levels of PFAS.

“Left unaddressed, these PFAS levels in a critical food and cultural resource will have negative impacts on the Band and its members,” the lawsuit states.

The Band is seeking money for testing and remediation of PFAS, treating or replacing contaminated water, replacing contaminated infrastructure, remediation of natural resources, restoration of tribal fisheries, conducting additional studies, costs associated with health impacts to tribal members, and medical monitoring of tribal members.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has reached out to 3M for a comment and will update this article if a response is received.

Leech Lake Ojibwe v 3MDownload
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