Toxic Tort and Environmental Litigation
- Obtained a seven-figure sanctions award for a client following a plaintiff’s concealment of evidence of the cause of groundwater contamination.
- Obtained summary judgment in an action alleging that gasoline exposure caused a plaintiff’s aplastic anemia. The court agreed with our argument that the plaintiff’s expert’s causation opinion lacked scientific support.
- Defeated class claims on behalf of thousands of homeowners residing near a refinery in Northern California. The court agreed with our argument that the existence of harm caused by dust and odors could not be established on a classwide basis.
- Secured summary judgment in a wrongful death action brought under the Jones Act concerning a seaman’s alleged exposure to crude oil aboard a chartered vessel.
- Obtained a defense jury verdict on a claim alleging that client’s solvent caused soil and groundwater contamination.
- Defended clients in several jury trials alleging personal injuries caused by benzene.
- Obtained summary judgement on hundreds of coordinated toxic tort cases alleging exposure to industrials chemicals. Lockheed Litigation Cases, Judicial Council Coordination Proceeding No. 2967.
- Led a jury trial involving the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and Clean Water Act and related administrative challenges in connection to remediation of leaking storage tanks. Esso Standard Oil Co. v. Lopez-Freytes, 522 F.3d 136 (1st Cir. 2008).
- Represented a pesticide manufacturer against thousands of personal injury claims asserted by foreign banana workers.
- Obtained summary judgement and sanctions in connection with hundreds of medical monitoring claims alleging risk from underground contamination. Baker v. Chevron USA Inc., 533 Fed.Appx. 509 (6th Cir. 2013).Tried a breach of contract claim alleging the insufficiency of environmental disclosures.
Commercial Litigation and Consumer Protection
- Obtained a decision under California’s anti-SLAPP statute that protected client’s petitioning of federal agencies in connection with a competitor's product. Neurelis Inc. v. Aquestive Therapeutics Inc., 71 Cal. App. 5th 769 (2021).
- Obtained a jury verdict and permanent injunction for a client denigrated by a competitor’s secretly operated ratings website.
- Defeated an administrative penalty action through a civil rights lawsuit alleging dormant Commerce Clause violations. Daniels Sharpsmart Inc. v. Smith, 889 F.3d 608 (9th Cir. 2018).
- Obtained pre-discovery dismissals of class actions alleging unfair medical care reimbursements and deceptive advertising of skin care products.
- Represented a client before California supreme court on first amendment challenge to compel corporate disclosures. Beeman v. Anthem Prescription Management, LLC, 58 Cal.4th 329 (2013).
- Defeated class certification in multidistrict litigation concerning the sale of allegedly toxic plastic drinking bottles made from BPA.
- Defeated class certification of statutory and constitutional claims arising out of the Public Employees’ Retirement Law.