Environmental Litigation

Safeguarding Our Environment

The discharge of toxic chemicals, dangerous pesticides, and hazardous materials into the environment can have a devastating effect on the health, livelihood, and property values of those in the vicinity. In the case of large scale oil spills, tens of thousands of persons living hundreds of miles away can be affected.

Attorney Annika K. Martin Discusses BP Oil Spill Settlement Claims

Environmental pollution may occur over an extended period — such as the slow leakage of industrial pollutants into groundwater supplies used by communities for drinking water — or swiftly and catastrophically from oil spills, transportation carrier accidents, and disasters at coal plants, refineries, and other industrial facilities.

Obtaining compensation for environmental damage

Lieff Cabraser possesses the expertise and financial resources to thoroughly investigate environmental cases and hold the defendants accountable. We have successfully prosecuted cases against many of the world’s most powerful corporations, obtaining compensation for families and property owners harmed by toxic environmental exposures.

Our notable successes include the Exxon Valdez Oil Disaster, in which we served as co-counsel for thousands of fishermen, landowners, and others whose livelihoods were gravely harmed when the Exxon Valdez ran aground in March 1989, spilling 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska, and killing tens of thousands of wild creatures and fouling 1,300 miles of beaches and surface waters.

We represented individuals, property owners, and business owners in litigation against BP (formerly British Petroleum) and the other companies involved in drilling at and the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010. A settlement with BP, which was announced in March 2012, requires BP to fully satisfy all qualified claims with no cap on the amount BP will pay.

Lieff Cabraser’s Cases in Environmental Law

Current Cases in Environmental Litigation

CaseIssue
Benton Harbor Water PoisoningLead poisoning of drinking water
Huntington Beach Amplify Energy Oil SpillPipeline rupture and oil spill
Jackson Mississippi Water CrisisLead poisoning of drinking water
Porter Ranch Natural Gas LeakUncontrolled gas leak
Santa Barbara Oil SpillPipeline rupture

Successes in Environmental Litigation

CaseResult
BP Gulf Oil Spill$11.2 billion in settlement claims paid
Tennessee TVA Coal Ash Spill$27.8 million settlement
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill$1.5 billion in awards and other payments
DuPont Imprelis HerbicideNearly $400 million in claims paid
GCC Richmond Works Toxic Discharge$180 million settlement
Unocal Refinery Toxic Discharge$80 million settlement
Louisiana Crawfish$45 million settlement
Sacramento River Toxic Spill$16 million settlement
Kentucky Coal SludgeSettled claims for 400 property owners
Toms River Cancer IncidentsConfidential settlements

Contact us

We will review your case without charge or obligation. Lieff Cabraser agrees to protect your name and all confidential information you submit against disclosure, publication or unauthorized use to the full extent under the law.

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