G&E’s Environmental Litigation team was selected by Law360 as a “Practice Groups of the Year” award winner for 2022. G&E is one of only six firms to have achieved this recognition in the Environmental category.
G&E has filed a wrongful death and negligence civil action on behalf of Angel McIntyre, who was killed in a vehicle collision during a high-speed chase involving Philadelphia-area police. The plaintiffs seek justice and accountability from the officers involved and police departments following this tragedy.
A federal lawsuit has been filed by G&E and co-counsel over the February 3, 2023 train derailment and explosion in East Palestine, Ohio. A Norfolk Southern freight train carrying carcinogenic vinyl chloride veered off track in what plaintiffs contend was foreseeable and preventable, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate or shelter in place. The lawsuit includes Ohio and Pennsylvania residents that were in the 30-mile radius of the incident who have since had their lives upended and fear the future effects of this disaster.
An op-ed piece published in The Washington Post voices frustrations with the continued secrecy of clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. A Maryland Attorney General report detailing eight decades of child sex abuse was hidden from view last year, robbing survivors of the validation they deserve. G&E represents these survivors in making this report public, seeking accountability and transparency to help them heal.
G&E was appointed lead counsel in the federal securities class action concerning the $43 billion merger of media giants Warner Bros. and Discovery Inc. Investors are accusing Discovery of keeping information from them about the struggling financial performance of streaming service HBO Max prior to the merger, and contend that WarnerMedia overstated the number of HBO Max subscribers by at least 10 million.
Our colleagues Barbara Hart and Elizabeth Graham, along with Jenner Law, P.C., are proud to represent the sexual abuse survivors and the community in an important endeavor against the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Following a 4-year investigation by the Maryland Attorney General into decades-long abuse by clergy members, survivors are demanding that the lengthy report detailing the allegations be released. G&E has been retained by Maryland Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), part of an internationally recognized organization supporting sexual abuse survivors worldwide, as part of this effort.
Investors suing multinational companies for securities fraud are finding their footing in the Netherlands and other courts outside the US. US courts are the epicenter of securities fraud litigation. But legal procedures in other countries’ courts are maturing, and litigation funders are flowing money into these jurisdictions, helping to remove obstacles.
As states and municipalities across the country seek accountability for PFAS contamination, the City of Baltimore announced its lawsuit against manufacturers of toxic chemicals that have polluted the city’s waterways. DuPont, Chemours, 3M, and many others are among the two-dozen defendants named in the suit, alleging they designed, manufactured, marketed, and distributed certain aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF) and toxins known as "forever chemicals" that have caused harm to both Baltimore residents and the city’s natural resources.
The Town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin announced the filing of a lawsuit against Tyco Fire Products, Johnson Controls, ChemDesign, and Chemguard concerning pollution of drinking water supplies and other natural resources with toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances).
G&E’s institutional investor clients scored an important victory in the global securities fraud class action against BHP Billiton. Having won on the inclusion of non-resident claimants in the class at the trial level and on appeal, the victory in Australia’s Supreme Court marks the claimants’ third successive win. A global class that extends to non-residents raises no issues of extraterritoriality, the Court held, where jurisdiction hinges on a local defendant’s domicile, rather than the residency of the claimants, and claims are brought under Australian law, in Australian court, governed by Australian procedure. As a matter of Australian law, a class action judgment binds the class; whether it is recognized as binding in other jurisdictions is a matter of foreign law, on which Australia’s class action statute does not purport to have any say.
The case is BHP Group Ltd. v. Impiombato [2022] HCA 33 (Oct. 12, 2022). G&E’s international securities litigation team members, Olav Haazen, Jonathan Davenport, Alice Cho Lee, and Romina Corral, contributed to successfully defeating the appeal.
In a class action complaint filed today by G&E and civil rights attorney Joshua Dubin, plaintiffs allege that the state of Florida deliberately and systematically maintains a racially segregated higher-education structure that favors traditionally white schools over Historically Black Colleges & Universities, known as HBCUs. The suit was filed on behalf of six graduate and undergraduate students at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), in Tallahassee, seeking declaratory and injunctive relief under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and federal and state laws.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced the filing of a lawsuit against Monsanto Co. over its long-term production of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). These toxic substances—many of which were produced in Monsanto’s Sauget, Illinois facility—widely contaminate the state’s natural resources and are a detriment to the environment. The lawsuit alleges the company knew of the dangers that these hazardous chemicals posed, yet denied this knowledge and continued to pollute Illinois’ natural resources for decades. G&E, along with co-counsel, serves as special assistant attorney general.
For 35 years, the U.S. government knowingly contaminated the water surrounding Marine Corps base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, exposing approximately one million military service members and their families to dangerous toxins such as oil, petrol, industrial wastewater, and chemicals. The pollutants have been linked to certain cancers and other serious conditions, such as birth defects, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, leukemia, liver cancer, miscarriage, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and Parkinson’s disease. Asserting claims under the Honoring Our PACT Act and the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, G&E represents those that were harmed by the contaminated water.
Principal Beth Graham was recently appointed by the court to the Settlement Committee in the In re Smith & Nephew Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR) Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation. Ms. Graham also serves on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in this litigation, which concerns complications arising from the BHR hip system’s defective cobalt-chromium metal-on-metal design.
The Legal 500’s United States guide for 2022 includes G&E and many of its attorneys across several practice areas, including antitrust, product liability/mass tort, securities, M&A, and environmental litigation. Once again, Principal Michael Barry was selected as a Leading Lawyer in the M&A Litigation: Plaintiff category, and Managing Director Jay Eisenhofer was recognized in the Securities Litigation: Plaintiff Hall of Fame.
The U.S. edition of The Legal 500 rankings, now in its 15th year, is decided by a team of experienced researchers who review firm submissions and gather feedback from firm peers and clients. More than 300,000 buyers of legal services are surveyed and interviewed globally each year for The Legal 500’s worldwide editions.
Principal Kyle McGee, head of G&E’s Environmental Litigation Group, was selected to Law360’s list of Rising Stars. The list, whittled down from 1,350 submissions to just 176 winners, honors the nation’s top attorneys under 40 in several practice areas. Mr. McGee was selected as one of the top five environmental attorneys for his impressive career achievements in the industry.
Read the Interview
Read the Selection Criteria and Full List of Rising Stars
G&E is highly ranked by Chambers and Partners in its annual guide for 2022. The Firm was ranked in Band 1 in the Chancery: Mainly Plaintiff category, and was also ranked in the Securities: Litigation: Mainly Plaintiff category. Managing Director Jay Eisenhofer was additionally recognized for his work on behalf of plaintiffs in securities litigation, as well as Principals Michael Barry and Christine Mackintosh for their achievements in Delaware Chancery Court.
Read G&E’s Chambers USA 2022 Rankings
Read the Ranking Methodology
G&E was appointed as lead counsel in the federal securities class action litigation against Peloton Interactive Inc. Investors claim that Peloton repeatedly made misleading statements reassuring investors that demand for its internet connected bicycles and treadmills remained steady even after COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were lifted and vaccines were introduced to the public—when in reality Pelton knew that demand for its connected fitness products was declining significantly.
As part of The National Law Journal's 2022 Elite Trial Lawyers awards, G&E’s Christine Mackintosh was selected to the list of Elite Women of the Plaintiffs Bar. The 15 honorees were selected from a nomination process, commending women lawyers who have consistently excelled in high-stakes matters on behalf of plaintiffs over the course of their careers.
San Diego City Attorney Mara W. Elliott, filed suit on behalf of the City and the People of California, seeking cleanup costs and other remedies related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) detected in San Diego drinking water supplies, stormwater, wastewater and other natural resources. Defendants include more than 20 chemical companies who knowingly sold products containing these toxic “forever chemicals,” polluting the environment and endangering public health for decades.
Six of G&E’s principals have been selected to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumers Lawyers Guide for 2022. The list was compiled through submissions, journalistic research and editorial vetting. Firm principals named to the list include mass tort litigators Sindhu Daniel, Adam Gomez and Elizabeth Graham; civil rights advocate Barbara Hart; and birth injury attorney Lisa Weinstein.
Filed in 2018, the State of Ohio asserted claims against Monsanto Co. and affiliates relating to statewide contamination of natural resources with toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The $80 million settlement, pending judicial approval, will be used to help prevent future threats to the environment. G&E served as outside counsel to the State.
A report released by ISS Securities Class Action Services ranks the top 50 plaintiffs’ firms in terms of settlement value for securities class actions resolved in 2021. G&E is included as a Top 10 plaintiffs’ firm within the annual list, which highlights cases where law firms served as lead or co-lead counsel in North American securities class action settlements.
Read the Report and learn more about ISS’ ranking methodology.
Filed in 2020 by the New Hampshire Office of the Attorney General, the lawsuit asserted claims relating to natural resource impairments in New Hampshire caused by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) produced, marketed, distributed, and sold by Monsanto Co. The $25 million settlement resolves these claims as to Monsanto Co. and its affiliates, Solutia Inc. and Pharmacia LLC and related entities. G&E, along with co-counsel, served as outside counsel to the State.
G&E is ranked among the leading law firms in two categories in the Antitrust Annual Report for 2020. The Firm was recognized in the Top 25 Lead Counsel in Complaints Filed list as well the Top 50 Cases with Settlements Reaching Final Approval 2009-2020 list.
The Report, produced annually by The Huntington National Bank and the University of San Francisco Law School, includes class action antitrust filings in federal court, analyzing data from 2009-2020.
Providence, RI (August 9, 2021) – Four women who are current or recent students at Brown University have filed a federal class action complaint against the Ivy League school alleging it has systematically and repeatedly failed to protect women from harm, including rape, “despite knowledge that sexual assault on its campus is endemic.” ... The case was filed on August 6 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island. If granted, the prospective class would include all women – estimated at upwards of 4,000 – who attended Brown starting in 2018 and were survivors of sexual violence and were then further traumatized by the “complete neglect and dysfunction” of the university’s sexual misconduct response program.
The State of Delaware, represented by G&E and the Delaware Department of Justice, has reached a historic pre-suit settlement with E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, The Chemours Company, DuPont de Nemours, Inc., and Corteva, Inc. (together, “DuPont”) following an extensive investigation concerning the contamination of Delaware natural resources with toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) ... Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings described the settlement as “the most significant environmental settlement that the State of Delaware has ever secured,” noting that “it is being delivered on a timeline that matches the urgency of this moment.”
Following a hearing led by G&E, a preliminary injunction was granted prohibiting industrial sterilization company Sterigenics from the uncontrolled emission of ethylene oxide at its Santa Teresa, New Mexico facility. The ruling was over the objection of numerous local and national groups, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. G&E is co-counsel in this litigation with the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office.
In a slew of lawsuits filed by San Diego City Attorney Mara W. Elliott, the City alleges that health insurers misled consumers with directories containing incorrect provider information. Consumers rely on provider directories when enrolling in health insurance plans and to find in-network doctors that accept their insurance. Inaccurate directories harm the public health by imposing barriers to health care access, and they distort health insurance markets with false advertising of the breadth of the provider networks offered and by driving out high needs patients who become frustrated and switch plans. The complaints allege unlawful business practices and false advertising by health insurers Molina, Kaiser, and HealthNet.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (June 21, 2021) – Leading plaintiffs law firm Grant & Eisenhofer has filed suit in California state court against Monsanto Co., maker of the herbicide Roundup, on behalf of Sacramento-area resident Michael Langford, who asserts his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and other cancers were caused by decades-long exposure to Roundup’s chemical ingredients, notably glyphosate.
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