Fifteen U.S. states have filed a lawsuit against Corteva, an agrichemicals company, claiming that its recent spinoff of its seed and genetics segment into a new company, Vylor, was an attempt to shield valuable assets from substantial liabilities related to PFAS, often called “forever chemicals.” These substances have contaminated the environment and pose health risks.
The lawsuit, filed in Indiana by a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general and Guam, accuses Corteva of transferring its most profitable operations to Vylor without any responsibility for PFAS contamination. Despite the claims against former DuPont, of which Corteva is a spinoff, the company asserts that it has never sold PFAS products itself and characterizes the states’ claims as “speculative and unproven.”
New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella emphasized that corporations cannot escape liabilities by shifting valuable assets to new entities. Meanwhile, a federal judge has rejected California’s attempt to block the spinoff. Post-spinoff, Corteva plans to focus on crop protection, while Vylor aims to enhance agricultural practices and aims for significant revenue growth by 2029.
