In the News

A federal judge this week said that a group of Maryland residents could proceed with a class action lawsuit against Perdue Farms that alleges the company’s soybean plant improperly discharged harmful chemicals that contaminated their well water, but dismissed claims seeking to link the contamination to residents’ existing medical ailments.

Plaintiffs react after federal judge denied Perdue's request to drop Salisbury PFAS lawsuit.

Residents near Perdue Farms’ Salisbury facility allege PFAS contamination in the water has caused cancers, birth defects and other health problems, with a federal judge allowing most of their lawsuit to move forward.

Salisbury residents’ first environmental lawsuit against Perdue Farms passed an initial hurdle this week as a judge rejected most of the agribusiness giant’s motion to dismiss the case.

a United States District Court judge has denied Perdue Farms’ request to fully dismiss or stay a class action lawsuit against the company over PFAS, or “forever chemical,” contamination detected near their Perdue AgriBusiness plant in Salisbury.

Wastewater from an industrial soy bean farm and processor has poisoned a Maryland town’s drinking water with PFAS, several lawsuits allege, raising questions about residents’ health and “forever chemical” pollution from industrial agricultural operations nationwide.

Two Salisbury homeowners filed a second federal lawsuit alleging Perdue’s refinery is contaminating private wells with “forever chemicals” at levels far above federal limits. “Meanwhile, production continues and Perdue has taken no meaningful steps to stop the ongoing contamination or prevent PFAS-laden wastewater from leaving its facility.” 

Perdue Agribusiness is now facing a new lawsuit, this one in federal court, over alleged PFAS (per and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) at and near its facility on Zion Church Road near Salisbury. 

Two Salisbury residents are suing Perdue AgriBusiness, alleging the Maryland agribusiness giant improperly discharged wastewater containing toxic chemicals onto land and into nearby streams.

Two Salisbury residents who live within a mile of Perdue AgriBusiness have filed a new federal lawsuit against the company following the initial detection of toxic "forever chemicals" in late 2024. 

Agribusiness giant Perdue is facing a second lawsuit from Salisbury residents who want to stop the company from releasing its wastewater into the ground. 

Two Salisbury residents are suing a Perdue Farms subsidiary over drinking water contamination from so-called “forever chemicals” as a separate proposed class-action lawsuit continues in federal court. The new lawsuit accuses Perdue AgriBusiness of open dumping and water pollution violations. 

Residents of Salisbury, Maryland, are demanding that Perdue Agribusiness immediately stop discharging toxic PFAS chemicals from its soybean processing facility, citing serious health risks and groundwater contamination, and have threatened legal action under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) if the pollution continues—adding to a broader class action lawsuit and growing national concern over PFAS in agricultural communities.

Perdue AgriBusiness has contaminated Salisbury’s water with dangerous levels of PFAS — toxic “forever chemicals” linked to cancer, liver disease, and other serious health issues. For families like Rick Wawrzeniak’s, unexplained medical problems, contaminated wells, and mounting fear have upended daily life.

The attorneys representing impacted residents of Salisbury, Maryland, in a class action lawsuit against Perdue AgriBusiness held an informational webinar to discuss the ongoing situation earlier this month.

A 90-day notice was sent to Perdue Agribusiness on behalf of BMF clients, demanding they stop discharging toxic PFAS chemicals into the drinking water and groundwater of Salisbury, Maryland.

Perdue Farms has been issued a 90-day notice under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) over PFAS contamination in Salisbury, MD. BMF Partner Philip C. Federico spoke with WUSA-TV about the legal action, which calls on Perdue to stop practices linked to toxic “forever chemicals” found in local groundwater and streams within 90 days—or face another lawsuit. 

Salisbury resident and cancer survivor Rachel Chaney says PFAS contamination near Perdue’s plant has harmed her family’s health. She is one of several plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit. Perdue claims there is no connection and is seeking to have the case dismissed.

Over 350 wells near Perdue’s Salisbury plant are contaminated with PFAS, with one sample exceeding EPA limits by 340 times. BMF attorney Chase Brockstedt, representing affected residents, says Perdue failed to warn the public for nearly a year.

State officials found toxic chemicals in the wastewater of the Perdue AgriBusiness factory more than a year before neighboring residents in the Salisbury area were informed about any contamination, according to emails between the company and state environmental officials obtained by The Baltimore Banner.

Perdue is reporting good progress after elevated levels of PFAS, or so-called forever chemicals, were found in groundwater near its Zion Church Road AgriBusiness facility. Company leaders are still searching for the source of the chemicals in the water. PFAS have been linked to serious illness by scientists.

Progress is being made by Perdue Farms after PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) or "forever chemicals" were detected at the Perdue Agribusiness facility on Zion Church Road, and subsequently at hundreds of nearby properties.

Residents across the state and country are becoming increasingly aware of their communities' troubled waters contaminated with PFAS.

Residents in Salisbury, MD, are grappling with groundwater contamination from PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” linked to a Perdue Farms facility. The Maryland Department of the Environment identified the contamination in 2023, prompting Perdue to expand testing to over 900 properties.

Perdue AgriBusiness has expanded the area they are conducting testing for per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS), or “forever chemicals,” in groundwater at properties near their Salisbury facility.

Initial testing began on October 14th.

At a Thursday night town hall, over 100 community members learned that tests of private wells revealed more residents are drinking contaminated water. This finding comes from an early investigation by the Baird Mandalas Brockstedt & Federico law firm, which filed a class action lawsuit against the chicken plant on October 11.

Attorneys representing the Salisbury community in a class action lawsuit over contamination from PFAS are holding a town hall meeting to discuss legal action against Perdue AgriBusiness.

The event is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 24, at 6 p.m. at the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center in Salisbury.

Tests showing elevated levels of PFAS in the groundwater at Perdue AgriBusiness’s soybean processing facility in Salisbury, MD, have triggered a wider investigation in the surrounding community and a class-action lawsuit.

A local law firm has filed a class action lawsuit against Perdue AgriBusiness over elevated levels of PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” at their facility on Zion Church Road in Salisbury.

Perdue AgriBusiness is facing a class action lawsuit. The legal move comes after elevated levels of PFAs, or forever chemicals, were identified in groundwater surrounding the company's Zion Church Road facility in Salisbury.

Salisbury residents have filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against a Perdue Farms subsidiary over PFAS contamination found in groundwater on its site.

The law firm Brockstedt Mandalas Federico has filed a class action lawsuit against Perdue over its Salisbury facility showing elevated levels of PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals."