Past toxics cases set the stage for PFAS lawsuits

By Sharon Udasin and Rachel Frazin | The Hill | January 28, 2022

Read the full article by Sharon Udasin and Rachel Frazin (The Hill)

Last in a four-part series.

“When Erin Brockovich was already knee-deep into investigating a chromium-six contamination case plaguing the Californian desert town of Hinkley, her boss Ed Masry warned her that he had run into a problem.

‘He pulled me into the law library one day and just said he didn’t think we could go forward,’ Brockovich told The Hill. ‘I was stunned. And I said, ‘Why?’ And he said, ‘Well, there’s a statute of limitations.’’

A statute of limitations — or a law that prohibits legal claims after a prescribed period passes following the harm — can be a decisive factor when it comes to trying, or even taking on, a toxic exposure lawsuit. These restrictions, which vary in length and detail from state to state, are today playing a role in the litigation emerging following community exposure to ‘forever chemicals,’ or per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

But these statutes have long been a central player in other toxic exposure cases — making an appearance both in Brockovich’s real life and the Hollywood blockbuster film based on it starring Julia Roberts.”…

Check out the prior article in the series.

This content provided by the PFAS Project.