The lawyers in this practice group represent individuals, businesses, and municipalities throughout Southern California in litigation involving environmental and toxic damage claims, including matters regarding surface and sub-surface contamination, improper hazardous disposal, and pesticide/chemical-related destruction of personal and real property.

Environmental And Toxic Litigation

The area of environmental law has become increasingly regulated over the last several years. Thus, a thorough understanding of both state and federal statutory schemes is critical in providing counsel to clients involved in environmental and toxic tort litigation.

Our lawyers are experienced in handling a wide variety of environmental matters, including lawsuits involving pre-existing underground hazardous substances, as well as structure contamination problems. We litigate cases involving CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act), SWDA (the Solid Waste Disposal Act), and RCRA (the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.)

We have experienced the wholesale expansion of environmental torts, from basic pesticide and fungicide exposure, to hazardous waste dumping, storage tank contamination, and "tight building" syndrome. Thus, in addition to representing clients in litigations matters, we are keenly committed to educating our clients in methods of avoiding environmental and toxic substance litigation.

Our environmental lawyers are very involved with several trade organizations which generates intimate understanding of issues facing our clients. We not only represent our clients in litigation matters, but also, in helping them to navigate the often treacherous waters of a government-sanctioned investigation, inclusive of administrative actions.

Our experience, understanding and knowledge of environmental/pest control systems allows us to provide effective assistance to pest control licensees, on such important issues as reporting compliance, contract drafting and review, guaranty, warranty, and indemnity agreements, and alternative dispute resolution.

Mold Litigation

In this new and proliferating area of law, the attorneys in this practice group promptly focus on identifying the existence of mold infestation and type of mold involved in the claim, such as stachhybotrys, aspergillus, and penicillium. We then develop strategies for conducting meaningful microbial IAQ investigation to discover the origin and location of the mold, and to determine the toxic exposure level. Generally, mold actions involve not only damage to property, but also personal injury to persons who claim exposure to the mold. Consequently, we often engage experienced experts, including certified industrial hygienists, microbiologists, and physicians.

Critical to our defense of mold claims is the causation element, and specifically, whether the mold can be related back to unrelated, pre-existing conditions. By focusing on this element, we are able to effectively and efficiently dispose of mold claims in this relatively new and emerging area of law.