Litigation in Los Angeles Keeps Communities Safe

The report, Hazardous to Your Health, published by the American Association for Justice, estimates 30% percent of the 3.9 billion pounds of industrial toxic chemicals produced are released into the air. The rest are disposed of in landfills or injected underground—all forms can be extremely harmful to human health and the community. That’s when toxic tort laws come in and the need for a litigation attorney Los Angeles.

Two Decades of Poisoning

In the 1950s, a compressor station operated by utility company Pacific Gas & Electric began leaking chromium 6 into the surrounding groundwater in Hinkley, California. For more than two decades, the residents were slowly poisoned. The company was held accountable in 1993 by litigation in Los Angeles, and eventually paid victims $333 million. They also agreed to stop using chromium and clean up the affected area. The case prompted other utilities to take similar actions to avoid litigation in Los Angeles and inspired the movie, Erin Brockovich.

California, and especially Los Angeles, knows first-hand the toll industrial toxic chemicals have on their limited resources—and their communities. Just recently, Los Angeles fire and emergency personnel had to respond to hazardous chemicals spilled at the University of Southern California campus, which prompted evacuations and road closures, according to the Los Angeles City Fire Department. Workers reportedly spilled large amounts of a chemical that they feared was radioactive in a pathology reference laboratory. Plus, response, from the Los Angeles fire department, was needed when there was an industrial chemical spill on a cargo ship at the Port of Los Angeles. The spill prompted an evacuation and investigation by a Los Angeles hazardous materials team because three dock workers suffered injuries and litigation in Los Angeles may be pursued.

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