Anniston staff weigh joining PFAS class action to recover cost of contaminated turnout gear
May 06, 2026 | Anniston, Calhoun County, Alabama
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A staff member said the City of Anniston has been asked by an out-of-state law firm to serve as the Alabama plaintiff in a nationwide class-action lawsuit alleging firefighters' turnout gear is contaminated with PFAS and seeking recovery of replacement costs.
The staff member told colleagues the firm is based in Delaware and that the case is already past the motion-to-dismiss stage; the next procedural step is class certification. "It's a no risk proposition for the city of Aniston," the staff member said, adding that Chief Phelps was supportive of pursuing the claim.
The staff member described the likely recovery as a reimbursement to jurisdictions for the cost of replacing affected gear. He said the firm estimated two suits per firefighter and "at least 1000 dollars" per suit as a working figure to calculate potential damages. He cautioned that exact recoveries would depend on class certification and how similar entities were defined in the litigation.
Officials said the federal court had set a deadline for counsel to amend the complaint to add new parties, creating time pressure for any jurisdiction considering joining. The staff member said he had circulated engagement agreements from the firm for review and that, if Anniston declines to join before the deadline, Alabama could be left without a representative in the statewide class.
The staff member also described local connections between the outside firm and a Washington, D.C.-based public affairs firm called Pine Street Advisors and named an associate, Don Catalog, who the staff member said has family ties to Pine Street in Aniston. The staff member said those connections were part of why the firm reached out locally.
No formal vote or binding authorization to join the litigation was recorded in the transcript; staff circulated engagement materials and discussed the legal timeline and potential benefits. The next procedural step noted in the discussion was review of the engagement agreements and the approaching court deadline for adding parties.
The staff member told colleagues the firm is based in Delaware and that the case is already past the motion-to-dismiss stage; the next procedural step is class certification. "It's a no risk proposition for the city of Aniston," the staff member said, adding that Chief Phelps was supportive of pursuing the claim.
The staff member described the likely recovery as a reimbursement to jurisdictions for the cost of replacing affected gear. He said the firm estimated two suits per firefighter and "at least 1000 dollars" per suit as a working figure to calculate potential damages. He cautioned that exact recoveries would depend on class certification and how similar entities were defined in the litigation.
Officials said the federal court had set a deadline for counsel to amend the complaint to add new parties, creating time pressure for any jurisdiction considering joining. The staff member said he had circulated engagement agreements from the firm for review and that, if Anniston declines to join before the deadline, Alabama could be left without a representative in the statewide class.
The staff member also described local connections between the outside firm and a Washington, D.C.-based public affairs firm called Pine Street Advisors and named an associate, Don Catalog, who the staff member said has family ties to Pine Street in Aniston. The staff member said those connections were part of why the firm reached out locally.
No formal vote or binding authorization to join the litigation was recorded in the transcript; staff circulated engagement materials and discussed the legal timeline and potential benefits. The next procedural step noted in the discussion was review of the engagement agreements and the approaching court deadline for adding parties.
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