Environmental and Toxic Litigation

Claims for bodily injury, mental/emotional injury, and medical monitoring arising out of alleged exposure to asbestos and other toxins are still being filed in unprecedented numbers. Both “mature” (e.g., asbestos) and “emerging” (e.g., latex gloves) toxic torts fall within the experience of Blue Williams’ Environmental and Toxic Tort Section. Our firm has played a leading role in the development of defenses to latent disease injury claims, such as those caused by silica or asbestos. Defense in this area requires experience in law that is inapplicable in most other cases. Courts look to and apply the law in effect at the time of the harmful exposure, often 20- to 50-years prior to the filing of the petition.

Our Environmental and Toxic Tort Litigation Team provides the experience, manpower, and technology necessary to defend toxic tort claims ranging from those brought by individual plaintiffs to those of multi-party, mass tort litigation. We have served as local, regional, and national counsel to a large variety of manufacturers, distributors, and users of products targeted in toxic tort litigation. Our experience includes defending clients involving: asbestos, grain dust, silica, welding rods, benzene, implants, latex gloves, pesticides, and other chemicals. This experience includes the proper handling and development of strategies to address legal and factual issues, as well as medical causation issues.

We have assembled a repository of medical, scientific and technical information and have worked with a number of highly respected consultants and experts. Our team’s approach allows clients to benefit from this wealth of information and resources. Our Environmental Section has experience advising ship builders, oil and gas companies, maritime clients, service industry companies, chemical companies, financial institutions, manufacturers, and transportation clients. Our attorneys assess potential environmental liability with regard to the purchase and sale of properties and have experience in hazardous waste management and transportation litigation. Additionally, we have vast experience in all relevant international, federal, and state laws and accompanying regulations, including air quality, water quality, solid and hazardous waste management, remedial and corrective actions at waste sites, toxins, land use planning and zoning, flood insurance, regulatory problems, wetlands and coastal zone management, mineral law, underground injection, oilfield waste, and hazardous materials transportation.

Blue Williams regularly coordinates environmental regulatory compliance for clients, including providing general advice on laws and regulations, the preparation of documents and materials for regulatory agencies, defense in enforcement actions (administrative and judicial), and defense of private claims. We guide our clients through the proper procedures to obtain needed permits for their businesses.