Environmental
and Toxic Tort 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.
