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Attorney General Litigation
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Since the mid-1990s we have participated in a unique relationship with state Attorneys General and other public entities litigating large-scale complex cases involving public health.
Litigation Against the Tobacco Industry
In 1995, Attorney General Scott Harshbarger hired Thornton & Naumes to assist in the litigation of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' lawsuit against the tobacco industry. There were many goals in this litigation, including recovering the costs to the state for treating tobacco related diseases and forcing the tobacco industry to stop marketing to children. This lawsuit resulted in an $8 billion settlement. As part of this settlement the tobacco industry agreed to an injunction that prohibited them from marketing cigarettes to children. They subsequently removed billboard advertisements along with those on taxi cabs and buses.
Among the contributions of Thornton & Naumes to the tobacco case was the firm's 20 years of experience working with medical and scientific experts who study lung disease and cancer and other health outcomes caused by hazardous and toxic substances. At the time of settlement less than 60 days away from the start of trial, the Massachusetts trial team had prepared perhaps the most formidable team of experts in the country to testify on the addiction and disease caused by cigarettes and on the industry's wrongful conduct of targeting children to smoke.
Drawing upon the success of the Attorneys General tobacco cases, the Attorney General of Rhode Island engaged three law firms, including Thornton & Naumes, to bring suit against the manufacturers of paint to recover damages for the public harm caused by the lead in their paint. These damages include the cost to remove lead paint in 331,000 dwelling units and to treat 35,000 children with lead paint poisoning in the state.
Litigation Against Major Polluters
Thornton & Naumes has also investigated for certain Attorneys General lawsuits against major polluters to recover damages to natural resources such as groundwater aquifers and marine habitats.
These actions, known as Natural Resource Damage claims, arise under state and federal Superfund laws. Due to the states' priority of cleaning up Superfund sites, the limited public resources available to then prosecute for the damage caused by such pollution and the high costs of such actions, the states have again turned to looking at partnership with private counsel to pursue these cases.
Important Links
- Massachusetts Attorney General's Office
- State Tobacco Information Center at Northeastern University
- Tobacco Information Center
- Tobacco Control Archives
Please call Attorneys Neil Leifer or David Strouss at 800-431-4600 if you are interested in obtaining more information about a claim.