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Alexander Hawes, LLP: Toxic Torts

Toxic Torts Description
Toxic Torts Cases
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Description[^]

Toxic torts are personal injuries and property damage caused by chemical exposures and pollution. Our firm has broad experience in handling these matters on behalf of our clients. Listed below are just two examples. Contact us for more information.

Toxic Torts Legal Cases[^]

$180,000,000. Final settlement in the Richmond Toxic Cloud class action litigation, Contra Costa County Superior Court, which arose from the explosion of a tank car of oleum, concentrated sulfuric acid and sulfuric trioxide at a sulfuric acid manufacturing plant operated by General Chemical Company in Richmond, California. General Chemical was the sole provider of sulfuric acid to Chevron's Northern California gasoline refinery. In the aftermath of the explosion, which sent 12 tons of oleum into the atmosphere, 63,000 Californians were exposed and thousands were seen at hospital emergency rooms for chemical exposure. As one of seven firms appointed by the Court to manage this massive toxic chemical class action, our mission was to prove medical causation and the full range of injuries caused by this disaster and to serve as Chair, Science/Medical Causation Committee. As an active member of the Class Action Executive Committee and the Plaintiffs' Management Committee, which was responsible for overseeing and prosecuting this combined class and mass tort action, our responsibilities included formulating, planning and executing the organization of the plaintiffs' proof of scientific and medical evidence including the retention of a multi-disciplinary team of meteorologists, atmospheric scientists, and computer modeling scientists to conduct a detailed study of the sulfuric acid plume caused by the venting of acid into the atmosphere, participation in the execution of the computerized wind field and plume study to identify and replicate the path and concentrations of the cloud of sulfuric acid as it dispersed, selection and screening of class representatives for the Model Complaint, retention of experts in toxicology, occupational medicine, pulmonology and allergy medicine, participation in focus group presentations, preparing and appearing with our 14 class representatives at their depositions and active involvement in extended settlement discussions leading to the final recovery of $180,000,000. The Declaration of the Management Committee In Support of Final Approval contains the following peer evaluation: "Richard Alexander was designated as the Chairman of the Medical Causation Committee, which was created by the Class Action Executive Committee and remained active throughout the litigation. Mr. Alexander's experience in the field of toxic injury litigation was invaluable. (He) planned and executed the organization of plainiffs' proof of scientific and medical evidence ... including the plume study and the screening of plaintiffs for the Model Complaint. Mr. Alexander actively participated in the planning, prosecution and settlement of the case. In addition we conducted an aerial reconnaissance and inspection of General Chemical's sister facility in Wilmington, Delaware which revealed barns and sheds for housing tank cars, unlike the Richmond facility where loading and unloading of tank cars occurred in the open." This outstanding result occurred as a result of a team effort that successfully proved outrageous misconduct in the heating of the tank car which exploded, carefully selected class representatives, diligently marshaled medical and scientific evidence and created a computerized program for reporting exposures and injuries for each of the 63,000 claimants. For more information see In re GCC Richmond Works Case, Judicial Council Coordination Proceeding No. 2906, Contra Costa County Superior Court, Martinez, California.

$750,000 recovery for the family of Joseph Pickering, a 38 year old high school teacher. Mr. Pickering during the early 1970s was employed by Chevron at its pesticide bottling plant in California and was exposed to Weed-B-Gon. The main ingredients of this pesticide during the early 1970s were 2,4 D and 2,4,5 TP. A search of local homes produced twenty year old cans of Weed-B-Gon that when tested proved to be contaminated with dioxins and furans. Mr. Pickering died of a soft-tissue sarcoma which has been identified in medical literature as being associated with the contaminants found in this common household pesticide. This case again proved that chemical exposure cases are the most challenging and most expensive of the defective product cases. Mr. Pickering was survived by his wife and three children. Pickering v. Chevron Chemical Company and Dow Chemical Company, San Francisco Superior Court Action Nos. 938467 and 952025.

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