Environmental Litigation

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The attorneys at DiCello Levitt have years of experience representing people, businesses, communities, and state and local governments in lawsuits against global corporations for polluting the environment and hurting people and businesses, as well as states and other municipalities. We secure results that make these companies take responsibility for their actions and remediate the harm they have caused.

We are frequently chosen by government clients to lead groundbreaking environmental contamination cases. DiCello Levitt’s environmental litigation team works with multiple states to hold corporate polluters accountable for extensive contamination from poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that have been used for decades across a wide array of industrial and consumer applications. PFAS have been infamously dubbed “forever chemicals” for their extreme persistence in the environment and resistance to typical environmental degradation.

Our environmental litigation team also represents governments in lawsuits to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for their decades-long campaigns of deception about the science of climate change and the role their products play in causing it, as well as their failure to take steps to avoid the harm that they knew would arise from the use of their products or to even warn anyone about it.

Named The National Law Journal’s 2023 Environmental Protection Law Firm of the Year, DiCello Levitt is committed to helping people who have suffered exposure to harmful pollution, whether from a catastrophic event or through years of continued air, water, and soil contamination in their towns and neighborhoods. We understand how communities of color and low-income communities, in particular, have been historically, systematically, and disproportionately impacted by toxic pollution. By helping communities recover from long-term exposure to hazardous contamination, our environmental litigation team seeks justice that entails fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all community members—regardless of race, color, national origin, or income—in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

Known for our efficiency and effectiveness in navigating the complexities of environmental, health, and safety regulations, we also help environmentally conscious corporate clients better protect the environment and their neighbors through compliance with federal laws like the Clean Water Act (CWA); Clean Air Act (CAA); Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA); Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); and Endangered Species Act (ESA). Our lawyers guide businesses in the development of safety and health programs that meet all the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s regulatory requirements, ensuring all employees a safe and healthy workplace. We also assist those companies with air, water, and waste permitting applications by drafting permits and providing counsel on complying with all applicable requirements.

Representative Matters

PFAS Litigation As Special Assistant Attorneys General

DiCello Levitt has been retained by State Attorneys General to assist their states in multibillion-dollar fights against the manufacturers of PFAS and aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) for contaminating the states’ air, water, and soil. The amount of contamination at issue makes these matters among the largest environmental pollution cases in U.S. history. DiCello Levitt was selected after a highly competitive process involving, at least in one state, fifteen competing proposals submitted by law firms across the United States.

Chemtool Fire Class Action Litigation

DiCello Levitt serves as Co-Lead Counsel in the Rockton, Illinois, community’s class action against Chemtool Incorporated following a massive fire that burned for days at Chemtool’s chemical plant in Rockton. The catastrophic event required the evacuation of the surrounding community and contaminated properties for miles around the plant.

Union, Illinois, Toxic Exposure Cases

DiCello Levitt represents more than a dozen residents and former residents of Union, Illinois, who have been diagnosed with devastating illnesses after being exposed to carcinogenic chlorinated solvents dumped into the village’s environment by nearby factories for decades.

Climate Change and Deception Litigation

DiCello Levitt represents multiple cities and counties in lawsuits against major oil companies and their industry trade association, the American Petroleum Institute, alleging that these industry giants promoted and profited from deceptive campaigns to discredit climate science and mislead the public about the role their products play in driving climate change. DiCello Levitt seeks to hold these companies financially accountable for the damage caused by climate change.

Camp Lejeune Poisoning Injuries

DiCello Levitt represents thousands of military veterans, their families, and other people who have suffered from serious health problems from the toxic water supply at Camp Lejeune. DiCello Levitt’s team seeks billions of dollars to compensate our clients who have suffered debilitating injuries from the misconduct of the U.S. government in knowingly poisoning the water supply at Camp Lejeune.