The United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) issued a June 27th news release stating that Boyd Farm LLC (“Boyd Farm”) and its owner Frazier T. Boyd III were sentenced on June 26th criminally for an alleged felony violation...more
In this week’s edition, we discuss the ever-increasing focus on greenwashing by way of enforcement action taken by regulatory authorities and incoming legislation aimed at enhancing consumer protection. The EU confirmed the...more
The EPA Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) February 15, 2024, report on EPA’s practices in collecting, retaining, and producing criminal discovery materials in environmental cases found that EPA’s special agents largely...more
The California Attorney General (“AG”) filed on January 18th felony charges against Lamb Fuels, Inc. (“Lamb Fuels”) and two employees for allegedly illegally treating and transporting hazardous waste in California. The...more
The Maryland Attorney General (“AG”) announced on October 17th that Curtis Bay Energy, LP (“Curtis Bay”) entered into a guilty plea to a forty-count criminal information resulting from an investigation that had been conducted...more
El Congreso de la Ciudad de México reformó su Código Penal a fin de endurecer las penas derivadas de la comisión de delitos contra el ambiente e incorporar el tipo penal de Ecocidio. En ambos casos, su comisión puede ser...more
California AG Rob Bonta, along with three other states and the District of Columbia, filed an amicus letter expressing concerns with 3M’s revised proposed class action settlement with public water suppliers to remediate the...more
In Short - The Situation: The U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ" or "Department") and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") recently announced the creation of a regional, cross-agency taskforce, targeting...more
On July 20, 2023, the U.S. Senate confirmed the long-awaited appointment of David Uhlmann as the new Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA”) Enforcement and Compliance Division. Mr. Uhlmann...more
On May 11, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the launch of its Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Environmental Crimes Task Force. This new task force will focus specifically on combating...more
The Environmental Crimes Section (“ECS”) of the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) Environment and Natural Resources Division (“NRD”) issued revisions to its Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy which was issued in 1991...more
On February 22, the U.S. Attorneys’ Office issued a new, voluntary self-disclosure policy encouraging companies to reveal potentially criminal conduct for environmental crimes. For qualifying self-disclosures, the policy can...more
The U.S. Attorney’s Office (Central District of California) issued a January 13th news release stating that Tim Miller (“Miller”) and his company Klean Waters Inc. (“Klean Waters”) each pleaded guilty to one felony count of...more
Fue publicado el Comunicado No. 39 por parte de la Corte Constitucional de Colombia el 23 de noviembre de 2022. Anuncia la futura expedición de la Sentencia C-411 de 2022, la cual declara la inexequibilidad de los delitos de...more
The United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) issued a November 28th news release stating that Joshua M. Franklin has pleaded guilty to a negligent violation of the Clean Water Act. The charge is stated to stem from an...more
On September 9, 2015, then U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates issued a memo, “Individual Accountability for Corporate Wrongdoing,” that sent shivers down the spines of those in the workplace safety community....more
The Tel Aviv District Court recently allowed a motion to certify a class action against the Volkswagen Group and its importer in Israel, Champion Motors Ltd. The class action focuses on the Dieselgate scandal, after an...more
The United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) issued a September 12th news release stating that DiAne Gordan (“Gordon”) had been sentenced to 36 months in prison for allegedly fabricating discharge monitoring reports...more
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon (“Department of Justice [“DOJ”]) issued an August 24th news release stating that Hydro Extrusion USA (“Hydro”) had been charged with negligent endangerment under...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) issued a June 16th news release stating that Clearwater Utility Services of Tumwater, Washington, and its owner pleaded guilty to...more
In recent days, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has made a series of announcements aimed at addressing environmental justice concerns and enforcement practices. The actions taken by DOJ include the establishment of the...more
Attorney General Merrick Garland recently delivered remarks to the ABA Institute on White Collar Crime, reinforcing previous commitments by top DOJ officials to an increased emphasis on prosecuting corporations and...more
On March 3, 2022, at the 37th Annual American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section National Institute on White Collar Crime in San Francisco, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland emphasized that “the prosecution of...more
On 15 December 2021, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a new EU Directive1 aimed at tightening compliance with EU environmental laws through the introduction of new criminal offences, increased sanctions and...more
At a recent conference, the newly confirmed Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), Todd Kim, delivered remarks strongly signaling an increased focus on prosecuting companies and...more