Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown is suing W.L. Gore & Associates in federal court over PFAS contamination tied to the company’s Elkton-area plants, and the W.L. Gore PFAS lawsuit in Maryland is now in active discovery before U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett. The state alleges Gore knowingly released the “forever chemical” PFOA from its Cecil County facilities for more than fifty years, contaminating drinking water, groundwater, soil, and state-owned parkland. Gore denies the allegations. No settlement has been reached and no trial date has been set.1CourtListener. State of Maryland v. W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
What the State Is Alleging
Brown filed the complaint on December 18, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. The case is captioned State of Maryland v. W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., No. 1:24-cv-03656. An amended complaint filed in May 2025 contains ten counts.2The Daily Record. Elkton Couple Gore Chemical Lawsuit
The core allegation is that Gore knew for decades that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was toxic to human health and the environment, yet continued releasing it into the air and water while concealing those dangers from the surrounding community. The complaint says the company prioritized profits over public safety.3Maryland Department of the Environment. AG Announcement on Gore Lawsuit Gore used PFOA in raw materials for the PTFE membranes behind Gore-Tex until 2014.4WHYY. Gore Lawsuit PFAS Contaminating Water
The ten counts include violations of the federal Superfund law (CERCLA), violations of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) for imminent and substantial endangerment and open dumping, unauthorized discharge of pollutants under Maryland’s Environment Article, and violations of additional state environmental laws.5U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Memorandum Opinion and Order3Maryland Department of the Environment. AG Announcement on Gore Lawsuit6State Impact Center. Maryland AG Filed Lawsuit Against W.L. Gore
What Was Found in Cecil County Water
PFOA was first detected in groundwater near Gore’s Cherry Hill facility in 2023, and the Maryland Department of the Environment began sampling private wells in the surrounding area.7W.L. Gore & Associates. Data and Testing The EPA’s national drinking water standard, finalized in 2024, sets the maximum contaminant level for PFOA at 4 parts per trillion.8U.S. EPA. Our Current Understanding of Human Health and Environmental Risks of PFAS
State testing of more than 100 private wells within a two-mile radius of the Cherry Hill and Fair Hill plants found PFOA above that 4-parts-per-trillion limit. Independent laboratory testing commissioned by a law firm found PFOA as high as 710 parts per trillion in residential wells closest to Cherry Hill.9Maryland General Assembly. Committee Testimony on PFAS Contamination Water testing at Cherry Hill, Fair Hill, and Appleton South showed PFAS levels 200 to 250 times the legal limit.10WBAL-TV. PFAS Forever Chemicals Maryland Lawsuit WL Gore Some wells near Gore facilities tested as high as 1,800 parts per trillion, roughly 450 times the EPA safety threshold.11CBS News Baltimore. Maryland PFAS Forever Chemical Cecil Gore Toxic
The contamination pathways described in legislative testimony and court filings include unlined storage ponds at Cherry Hill that held PFAS-contaminated wastewater, vapor released during material drying, and routine practices dating back to the 1970s such as employees washing PFAS-containing materials off their hands in facility sinks. Affected resources extend beyond drinking water to surface water, soil, sediment, and the Fair Hill state park.9Maryland General Assembly. Committee Testimony on PFAS Contamination
How Gore Is Responding
Gore filed an amended answer on May 27, 2025, broadly denying the state’s allegations and characterizing many claims in the complaint as “incomplete and/or incorrect statements of complex scientific and technical matters.” The company emphasized that it has engaged with the Maryland Department of the Environment since at least 1990, has held required manufacturing permits, and has been subject to repeated inspections. Gore did acknowledge receiving a February 2023 letter from MDE and agreeing to investigate PFOA near Cherry Hill.12W.L. Gore & Associates. Amended Answer and Affirmative Defenses
A Gore spokesperson said the company “denies the allegations made in the lawsuit” and pointed to “a strong track record of proactively engaging in efforts to continuously improve environmental controls.”4WHYY. Gore Lawsuit PFAS Contaminating Water On its public site, Gore reports that as of June 2026 it has collected 540 samples across more than 255 locations, provided bottled water to 195 residents, and installed 95 point-of-entry water filtration systems at no cost to homeowners.7W.L. Gore & Associates. Data and Testing Gore submitted an interim remedial action plan to MDE in June 2025 proposing a “pump and treat” groundwater remediation system at Cherry Hill, with remediation activities planned to begin in 2026 pending state permits.13W.L. Gore & Associates. An Update to the Community on Our Progress
Where the Case Stands Now
As of mid-2026, the AG’s enforcement case remains in active litigation before Judge Bennett, with fact discovery ongoing. The last publicly recorded docket filing was in March 2026.1CourtListener. State of Maryland v. W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. Gore’s proposed pump-and-treat groundwater remediation at Cherry Hill awaits final permit approval from MDE, with the company indicating it is ready to begin work in 2026.14W.L. Gore & Associates. FAQs No trial date has been set.
Elkton Residents in the Lawsuit
The state case is not the only pressure Gore faces from the community. In October 2025, Judge Bennett granted a motion by Stephen and Cheryl Martin, a couple living less than a mile from Cherry Hill, to intervene in the state’s lawsuit. The Martins allege their private well contains PFOA at more than four times the federal maximum contaminant level, and they say they have installed carbon filtration and purchased bottled water while worrying about long-term health effects.2The Daily Record. Elkton Couple Gore Chemical Lawsuit15Southern Maryland News. Martin v. W.L. Gore Court Filing
The court allowed the Martins to participate in Count V (unauthorized discharge of pollutants at all thirteen Gore facilities in the area) and Count IX (RCRA endangerment and open dumping at the Cherry Hill, Fair Hill, and Appleton sites), and rejected Gore’s attempts to limit their role in discovery or briefing.5U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Memorandum Opinion and Order
Reporting describes the state case as “one of several” pending lawsuits Gore faces from current and former Elkton residents who allege that decades of chemical exposure caused cancer and other illnesses.2The Daily Record. Elkton Couple Gore Chemical Lawsuit A separate putative class action on behalf of residents near Cherry Hill was filed as early as February 2023 and is being handled by the law firms Motley Rice and Brockstedt Mandalas Federico.16Courthouse News Service. Maryland Class Action Pins Toxic Leakage on Gore-Tex Material Maker Details on the number of plaintiffs and outcomes in individual resident cases remain limited in available reporting.
The Separate Gore-Tex Consumer Lawsuits
Consumers who bought Gore-Tex products are pursuing a different track. These “greenwashing” class actions accuse Gore of marketing its products as environmentally responsible while allegedly concealing the use and environmental shedding of PFAS. They are separate from the Maryland contamination case and would not compensate residents for well contamination.
The lead case, Walton et al. v. W.L. Gore & Associates, No. 1:25-cv-01948-BAH, was filed in June 2025 in the District of Maryland and transferred to the District of Delaware in March 2026. Plaintiffs filed a 157-page second amended complaint on May 13, 2026, alleging Gore marketed products with phrases like “Committed to Sustainability,” “Environmentally Sound,” and “PFC Free” while manufacturing with PFAS and failing to disclose that Gore-Tex fabric sheds forever chemicals during ordinary use. The proposed class covers consumers who purchased Gore-Tex items between January 2018 and December 2024.17Hagens Berman. PFAS Gore-Tex Greenwashing
A similar suit, Mason et al. v. W.L. Gore & Associates, was filed in February 2025 in the Eastern District of Washington, raising comparable claims under the FTC’s Green Guides and state consumer protection laws.18ClassAction.org. Mason et al. v. W.L. Gore Complaint By June 2025, the Mason plaintiffs were seeking to end their proposed class action voluntarily.19Law360. Consumers Drop Gore-Tex Greenwashing Class Suit
In Walton, Gore filed a motion to dismiss in April 2026, arguing consumers “lack any basis” to claim their Gore-Tex garments contain harmful PFAS. That motion is pending, and no settlement has been reached in any consumer case.20Law360. Gore-Tex Maker Says Harmful Chemicals Suit Can’t Survive
What This Means If You Live Near Elkton or Own Gore-Tex
If you live within roughly two miles of Cherry Hill, Fair Hill, or the Appleton facilities and rely on a private well, state sampling data and independent testing have shown PFOA above the EPA’s 4-parts-per-trillion limit across the area, in some wells by hundreds of times. Gore is providing bottled water and installing point-of-entry filtration systems at no cost for eligible homes in its sampling program. The state’s lawsuit is seeking remediation and cost recovery on behalf of Maryland; it is not a personal injury or property damage claim on your behalf. Residents alleging health effects or property harm have brought separate suits, including the Martins’ intervention and the earlier putative class action handled by Motley Rice and Brockstedt Mandalas Federico.
If you own Gore-Tex products, the pending consumer cases seek relief for buyers between January 2018 and December 2024 based on marketing claims, not for health effects. No class has been certified and no settlement fund exists, so there is nothing to claim at this stage.