8-K

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)
June 15, 2005

Wellman, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	1-10033	04-1671740
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)
1041 521 Corporate Center Drive
Fort Mill, South Carolina		29715
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (803) 835-2000

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

TABLE OF CONTENTS

	Item 8.01. –Other Events.
SIGNATURES
Ex-99.1 Press Release dated June 15, 2005

Item 8.01. –Other Events.

     On June 15, 2005, Wellman, Inc. issued a press release announcing that it will record a pretax charge of $24 million in the second quarter of 2005 that is expected to cover the cost of a settlement with 33 purchasers of polyester staple fiber as well as expected future costs to defend or settle all other civil claims alleging that the Company engaged in price fixing and customer allocation for sales of polyester staple fiber. The after-tax effect of the charge will be $15.6 million. This Form 8-K and the attached exhibit are provided under Item 8.01 of Form 8-K.

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SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	Wellman, Inc.
June 16, 2005	/s/ Mark J. Ruday
	Mark J. Ruday
	Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Controller

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EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit		Description
Number
	99.1	Press release dated June 15, 2005.

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EX-99.1

Contact:	Michael Bermish
	Investor Relations Officer
	732-212-3321

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WELLMAN RECORDS CHARGE AND SETTLES CERTAIN CLAIMS
RELATING TO SALES OF POLYESTER STAPLE FIBER

June 15, 2005, Shrewsbury, NJ – Wellman, Inc. (NYSE:WLM) announced that it will record a pretax charge of $24 million in the second quarter of 2005 that is expected to cover the cost of a settlement with 33 purchasers of polyester staple fiber as well as expected future costs to defend or settle all other civil claims alleging that the Company engaged in price fixing and customer allocation for sales of polyester staple fiber. The after-tax effect of the charge will be $15.6 million.

The Company has entered into a settlement agreement with 33 purchasers of polyester staple fiber that represent more than half of the volume of polyester staple fiber sold in North America from April 1999 to July 2001. The settlement agreement states that the Company denies any wrongdoing and acknowledges that the Company has strong defenses to any claims; however, it is entering into the settlement agreement to minimize future expenses, risk and disruption of business that occurs with any litigation. The settlement results in the dismissal of previously filed civil claims relating to the purchases of polyester staple fiber and these purchasers have agreed to release any claims, whether individually or as part of a class, against Wellman and any of its employees. The Company has also agreed, under certain circumstances and for a limited period of time, to increase the settlement payment if it agrees to settle other similar claims for a greater amount.

Thomas M. Duff, Wellman’s Chief Executive Officer, stated, “Even though the Company did not engage in any illegal actions, this settlement is a prudent action to eliminate a substantial number of claims. We will continue to vigorously defend any other claims unless we can settle them in a cost effective manner.”

Wellman, Inc. manufactures and markets high-quality PermaClearÒ brand PET (polyethylene terephthalate) packaging resin and FortrelÒ brand polyester staple fibers. We believe we are one of the world’s largest PET plastic recyclers, utilizing a significant amount of recycled raw materials in its manufacturing operations.

Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In addition, words such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are made as of the date hereof based upon current expectations, and we undertake no obligation to update the information contained herein. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to: reduced raw material margins; reduced sales volumes; increases in costs; the financial condition of our customers; polyester staple fiber and textile imports; availability and cost of raw materials; the impact of litigation arising out of alleged pricing practices in the polyester staple fiber industry; the actions of our competitors; the effective implementation of our cost reduction programs; availability of financing, changes in financial markets, interest rates, credit ratings, and foreign currency exchange rates; regulatory changes; tax risks; U.S., European, Asian and global economic conditions; prices and volumes of PET resin imports; work stoppages; levels of production capacity and profitable operation of assets; prices of competing products; natural disasters and acts of terrorism; and maintaining the operations of our existing production facilities. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed herein. Results of operations in any past period should not be considered indicative of results to be expected in future periods. Fluctuations in operating results may result in fluctuations in the price of our common stock. For a more complete description of the prominent risks and uncertainties inherent in our business, see our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004.

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