For the Defendant - Susman Godfrey L.L.P.
Susman Godfrey represents Texas Brine in several ongoing insurance coverage and property damage litigation matters over their alleged role in the Bayou Corne, Louisiana sinkhole. The sinkhole, located in northern Assumption Parish, Louisiana, appeared on August 3, 2012, and hundreds of nearby residents were advised to evacuate. Scores of suits have been filed and are currently being litigated. Litigations in this matter involve (1) individuals and entities that claim their property has been damaged due to this sinkhole and (2) Texas Brine’s insurance companies, some of whom are denying coverage.
In 2001, 53 plaintiffs sued ConocoPhillips and Rio Grande Resources, among other defendants, alleging that the defendants’ Karnes County uranium mining and milling operations caused each plaintiff to develop cancer or other medical ailments. The plaintiffs alleged damages in excess of $45 million. In February 2003, after nearly two years of litigation, Susman Godfrey was retained as lead trial counsel. Within a few short months, the defendants filed case dispositive Daubert and summary judgment motions. In 2004, the District Court of the Western District of Texas dismissed several plaintiffs’ claims by granting some of the summary judgment motions. On March 30, 2005, the Court dismissed all remaining claims by granting the defendants’ Daubert motion, striking plaintiffs’ causation expert.
Susman Godfrey previously represented ASARCO Incorporated in defense of cases filed by about 3,000 plaintiffs alleging arsenic contamination in Commerce, Texas.
We represented a German chemical company and its subsidiaries in the defense of claims made by soldiers allegedly exposed to chemical and biological warfare agents in the Persian Gulf war. The case is one of the largest toxic tort cases ever filed. We were successful in getting our client dismissed from the case at an early stage of the litigation.
We obtained a summary judgment against putative class representatives who alleged contamination of their property and health problems resulting from chemicals allegedly originating on our client’s barrel-cleaning facility. The summary judgment was sustained both in federal and state courts.
We represented Enron Corporation and San Juan Gas Company in more than 500 cases in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The cases, brought by more than 2000 plaintiffs, arose from a 1996 building explosion. Susman Godfrey, as lead counsel, coordinated the activities of the numerous law firms involved in the defense.