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 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 represent 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.
We also represent property owners affected by a spill of more than a billion gallons of coal fly ash at a coal plant in Eastern Tennessee operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. In August 2012, the Court found in favor of plaintiffs on their claims of negligence, trespass, and private nuisance.
