Tort Law
Teflon Suit Dropped After Judge Denies Class Certification
Posted May 13, 2009, 08:42 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
A lawsuit claiming Teflon cookware poses a health risk was dismissed after plaintiffs lawyers failed in their bid to win class certification.
The suit contended that a chemical used in the Teflon manufacturing process releases toxic particles when heated during cooking, the Associated Press reports. If successful, the suit could have cost Teflon manufacturer DuPont as much as $5 billion, according to the estimates of some lawyers.
Kim Baer, a Des Moines lawyer representing plaintiffs from Iowa and three other states, said the court denied certification but did not rule on the safety of Teflon. U.S. District Judge Ronald Longstaff of Des Moines signed an order dismissing the case on May 1.
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