On November 27, a landmark PFAS decision by the Sixth Circuit effectively dismissed a statewide class action for lack of standing. This potentially sets the stage for a new era of PFAS litigation, where historically general...more
12/8/2023
/ Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Dismissals ,
Firemen ,
Jurisdiction ,
PFAS ,
Pleading Standards ,
Remand ,
Standing ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Exposure
With Governor Abbott signing House Bill 19 into law on June 9, Texas joins more than two dozen US states with a specialized business court system designed to preside over specific high-value business and commercial disputes....more
PFAS litigation is on the rise. The catalyst is the rapidly developing patchwork of proposed municipal, state, and federal regulations seeking to find and hold accountable PFAS users. State attorneys general are taking an...more
5/15/2023
/ Contamination ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Policies ,
Hazardous Substances ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Agencies ,
Regulatory Standards ,
State Attorneys General ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Exposure
In March 2023, the Administration took another major step in its strategic roadmap to combat and hold PFAS users accountable for PFAS contamination by proposing new rules establishing the first-ever national drinking water...more
3/30/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
CERCLA ,
Compliance ,
Contamination ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Substances ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Reform ,
State and Local Government ,
Toxic Chemicals
On September 1, 2019, any vessel larger than 1,100 feet will no longer have open access to the Houston Ship Channel (HSC) absent approval by the newly authorized and independent Board of Pilot Commissioners for Harris County...more
On February 1, 2019, a Louisiana federal court judge awarded an injured construction worker $3.3 million, finding that, during equipment transfers between boats and barges, the practice of keeping vessels together by using...more
On July 18, 2017, the Dallas Court of Appeals reversed a 2014 jury verdict that resulted in a $535 million judgment in favor of Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (“ETP”) against its counterparty (appellate decision linked here)....more
In May, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took several steps that are likely to refocus the Agency’s attention from greenhouse gas emission reductions and other novel uses of existing environmental laws to more...more
On July 12, a federal district court imposed a $3 million punitive sanction pursuant to the recently amended Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37(e). GN Netcom, Inc. v. Plantronics, Inc., No. CV 12-1318-LPS, 2016 WL 3792833 (D....more
On June 24, the Obama Administration filed its notice of appeal to challenge last week’s federal court decision to strike down the newest regulation over hydraulic fracturing on federal and Indian lands by the Bureau of Land...more