The National Law Journal has named Lieff Cabraser founding partner Elizabeth Cabraser a 2017 Energy and Environmental Law Trailblazer. Editor Richard Caruso notes that each of the 2017 award recipients “has shown a deep passion and perserverance in the pursuit of their mission, having achieved remarkable success along the way.” [Read more…]
A potentially hazardous and toxic chemical has been discovered in groundwater wells within and around the Navy airfield on Whidbey Island, Washington, contaminating the area water supply and raising serious health concerns. Residents have been warned of cancer and other risks from drinking the water coming from these now-polluted wells. [Read more…]
On May 8, 2017, Judge John Wiley, Jr. of the Los Angeles Superior Court issued an Order in the Southern California Gas Leak Cases, JCCP 4861 and related cases, denying all three of SoCalGas’ motions. SoCalGas moved to strike the class claims of businesses and property owners over the liability of Southern California Gas relating to the massive gas leak near Porter Ranch that started in October 2015. SoCalGas also asked the Court to throw out the Business Class Action Complaint on the basis that purely economic losses are not recoverable for this kind of case. [Read more…]
As reported by the LA Times, California officials are warning Southern California residents that the region could have as many as 14 days of scheduled blackouts this coming summer as a result of depleted reserves of natural gas as a result of the gargantuan leak in Alviso Canyon. [Read more…]
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Vice News, Foxnews, and elsewhere across the media, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier has granted final approval to a settlement estimated at $20 billion over the 2010 BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Many observers felt Judge Barbier had prefigured the settlement in an earlier case ruling where he noted that BP had been “grossly negligent” with respect to the rig explosion that killed 11 and spilled 134 million gallons of oil into the Gulf. [Read more…]
Fishers, Fish Buyers, and other Businesses Affected by the May 19, 2015 Refugio State Beach Pipeline Rupture and Oil Spill Are Alerted That They Should Not Sign Away Any Rights In OPA Claims Before Being Fully Informed About The Ongoing Class Action Refugio Spill Economic Harm Class Action Lawsuits
San Francisco, CA (March 3, 2016) — Plaintiffs in the class action lawsuits for economic harm caused by the May 19, 2015 Refugio State Beach pipeline rupture and oil spill won a victory in court today when Judge Philip S. Gutierrez issued an order granting their requests for immediate changes to the way the pipeline companies responsible for the spill are permitted to communicate to plaintiffs and putative class members. The pipeline companies must cease all of what the plaintiffs termed misleading and deceptive communications to spill victims, and update the communications they do make to alert victims to the ongoing class action lawsuits. [Read more…]
As reported by the AP and other news outlets, the natural gas and methane leak that sickened Los Angeles residents and forced thousands from their homes in the Porter Ranch area has been confirmed by scientists as the largest known release of climate-changing methane in U.S. history in terms of environmental impact. [Read more…]
It is a disaster that has been described by at least one Los Angeles city official as “the equivalent of the BP oil spill, except on land.” Since late October 2015, natural gas has been spewing into the air in the Aliso Canyon/Porter Ranch neighborhood about 25 miles northwest of Los Angeles, sickening residents and forcing thousands to evacuate their homes. The uncapped well is also pouring greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. Property values have been diminished by the ongoing leak as well as the threat of future leaks from the same facility. [Read more…]
Lieff Cabraser attorneys Elizabeth Cabraser and Annika K. Martin will be speaking at the Annual Advanced eDiscovery Institute at the Georgetown University Law Center on November 19-20th, 2015 in Washington, DC. [Read more…]
Lieff Cabraser attorney Lexi J. Hazam was elected Vice Chair of the American Association for Justice’s (AAJ) Section on Toxic, Environmental and Pharmaceutical Torts (STEP). Promoting a fair and effective justice system, AAJ’s mission is to support the representation of those injured by the harmful misconduct and negligence of others. STEP is a section of the association, which focuses on pharmaceutical toxic effects, medical devices, pesticides, consumer products, industrial pollution, and other environmental damages.
