Weitz & Luxenberg responds to PCE contamination in Billings, MT

In response to news that the Environmental Protection Agency is investigating possible vapor intrusion into homes in Billings, Montana, nationally-recognized mass torts and personal injury law firm Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., reaffirms its ongoing dedication to hold polluters responsible for the hazards they wreak on our communities. A forerunner in the legal fight against environmental polluters, the firm has worked with clients harmed by Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE), asbestos, chromium, fluoride, lead and PCE, among other toxins. We represent over 50 water providers whose wells have been contaminated with MTBE and several communities around the country for the personal injuries and property damage they have suffered as a result of pollution.

Tests earlier this summer revealed that vapors from the underground pollution in Lockwood, a neighborhood southwest of downtown, were seeping up through the soil to the foundation of several homes, the Billings Gazette reported. The EPA has returned to the area—known as Billings PCE Site—to determine the extent of the size of the plume and how many other homes may soon be a target.

Of the contamination, Robin Greenwald, Head of the firm’s Environmental Toxic Torts Unit said, “Citizens should not have to feel unsafe in their own homes. When companies mishandle chemicals that migrate into groundwater and ultimately into the air in people’s homes, those companies should have to pay for the injuries and damage to property their unlawful conduct causes.”

Greenwald is a longtime advocate for environmental protection. Before joining Weitz & Luxenberg, she was an environmental clinical professor of law at Rutgers School of Law and Executive Director, Waterkeeper Alliance, an international non-profit environmental organization devoted to protecting water bodies around the world. Before that, she was the chief of the environmental unit at the United States Attorneys Office in the Eastern District of New York and Assistant Chief of the Environmental Crimes Unit of the US Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.

The groundwater beneath about 500 acres in Billings has been contaminated with chemicals commonly used in dry cleaning. They include tetrachloroethene (PCE), and its breakdown chemicals, trichloroethene (TCE), dichloroethene (DCE) and vinyl chloride. Depending on the potency of the plume, property damage from future vapor intrusion could devastate affected homeowners.

About Weitz & Luxenberg:
Weitz & Luxenberg, founded in 1986, is one of the leading plaintiffs, mass torts, product liability, and personal injury litigation law firms in America. A forerunner in the legal fight against environmental polluters, Weitz & Luxenberg has worked with clients harmed by MTBE and other toxins. The firm has played leading roles in national and local litigations involving asbestos, DES, silicone breast implants, medical malpractice, and general negligence, among others. The firm has won numerous cases involving dangerous pharmaceuticals, including Vioxx, achieving a $13.5 million verdict against Merck & Co. (docket No. ATLL129605).

People who have been injured by environmental pollutants can contact Weitz & Luxenberg. Interested parties should call the Client Relations department at 1 (800) 476-6070 or via e-mail by writing to clientrelations@weitzlux.com. You may also visit our website at www.weitzlux.com