ENVIRONMENTAL CLASS ACTION LAW
Ghalchi & Associates has been at the forefront of environmental class action type litigation and a pioneer in its “industry encompassing” approach since 1997. We seek to preserve the environment and to protect the public against harmful environmental exposures. We represent plaintiffs and litigate, on class-wide bases or in representative actions on behalf of the general public, against large corporations and entire industries, (at the state and federal level), on environmental issues that significantly affect large and wide segments of the public, including consumer, occupational and general environmental exposures. (We do not represent clients solely on individual type bases).
Ghalchi & Associates seeks not only compensation and relief for environmentally related harms, but often seek to raise public awareness many years prior to their recognition, thereby promoting prevention. In doing so, we apply creative strategies and arguments to obtain successful results.
In recognition of our efforts, Mr. Ghalchi of Ghalchi & Associates has received supportive coverage in the news and was invited to testify as an expert witness before the U.S. Congress (click here for Mr. Ghalchi’s submitted expert testimony). (For more information, please go to “About Us/In the News”).
Our practice therefore spans broad and varied range of industries and is not limited to any particular issue. Some examples of past industries and areas of practice include:
· Vs. Big Oil for Alleged Groundwater Contamination. Mr. Ghalchi has prosecuted complex representative actions on behalf of the general public alleging that Mobil Exxon, ARCO, Unocal and Chevron, along with other oil companies, “knowingly” allowed gasoline components – benzene, toluene and lead – to leak for years into California’s subterranean water supplies suitable for human consumption, in violation of Proposition 65 and Business & Professions Code §17200.
· Exposures to carcinogens and reproductive toxins in first and second hand tobacco smoke. Mr. Ghalchi has also prosecuted numerous representative actions on behalf of the general public against hundreds of large corporate defendants and sites for alleged violations of environmental and consumer laws (under, e.g., California’s Proposition 65 and the California Unfair Competition Law) involving alleged exposure of members of the public to first and second hand tobacco smoke. Some of these large business defendants and sites included, for example, the hospitality/hoteling, tourism and cigar industries.
· Vs. Automotive Industry for alleged exposures to auto. emissions in fight against carcinogenic pollution and related reproductive toxins. Likewise, Mr. Ghalchi has prosecuted (as early as 2001), in a representative capacity on behalf of the general public, actions against the automotive industry for alleged exposures to carcinogens and reproductive toxins in auto. emissions and other alleged auto-related pollutants – to raise public awareness many years prior to the now global effort to shift to cleaner and zero emission vehicles. These efforts resulted in the automotive industry commencing and instituting a program of warning and educating the public regarding the alleged hazardous effects of auto. emissions and other auto-related pollutants. In recognition of these efforts, the California Attorney General took the unprecedented step of publishing a letter in support of Ghalchi & Associates' and our client’s efforts to combat alleged pollution and related carcinogens emitted by automobiles. In that letter, the Attorney General noted the “extensive compilation of information,” that the “recipients of ... [the] notices ... appear[ed] to be in violation of the Act”, and that our client and our firm could assert a “prima facie case.” (A copy of the letter can also be found posted at times on the CA Attorney General’s website).
· Exposures to carcinogens and reproductive toxins in medical devices. Mr. Ghalchi has similarly prosecuted representative actions on behalf of the general public against large corporate defendants for alleged violations of environmental and consumer laws involving alleged exposure of members of the public to carcinogens and reproductive toxins in medical devices.
· Exposures to illegal pesticides and contaminants in food products and dietary supplements. In addition, Mr. Ghalchi has prosecuted representative actions on behalf of the general public against large business defendants for alleged violations of environmental and consumer laws involving alleged exposure of members of the public to illegal and banned harmful pesticides and contaminants in food products and dietary supplements.
· Exposure of consumers to mislabeled and deceptive food products. Similarly, Mr. Ghalchi has prosecuted representative actions on behalf of the general public against over a hundred large business defendants for alleged violations of consumer, food, health and safety laws involving the marketing and sale to the public of falsely advertised and deceptively labeled food products.