City of Seattle, a municipal corporation located in the County of King, State of Washington vs. Monsanto Company, et al

Case Background

On January 21, 2016, Plaintiff City of Seattle filed a PCB contamination lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington(Case number: 2:16cv107). Judge Richard A. Jones presided over this case.

Cause

In January 2016, the City of Seattle initiated a lawsuit against Monsanto Company, Solutia Inc., and Pharmacia Corporation over the manufacture and widespread contamination caused by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The City alleged that Monsanto was the exclusive producer of PCBs in the United States from 1935 to 1979 under the "Aroclor" brand. Despite knowing about the toxic properties of PCBs and their environmental hazards, Monsanto continued manufacturing these chemicals until Congress banned them in 1979. PCBs were widely used in industrial and commercial applications, often leaking into the environment during their use. The City argued that PCB contamination severely affected Seattle's streets, stormwater systems, and water bo