SOMETHING IN THE WATER
Rob Bilott never should have agreed to represent Wilbur Tennant’s case.
running from Jim’s property provided water for all the cattle and wildlife in the area. Since the sale, the stream had become frothy and discolored, and the animals that drank from it were sick, malformed, or dead, including 153 of Tennant’s 200 cows. When Bilott stumbled upon a letter from DuPont to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the real horror story began to emerge — one that went far beyond the boundaries of Tennant’s farm and into the drinking water of every American. The letter mentioned a mysterious chemical called PFOA, and Bilott requested documentation from DuPont to find out more about it. However, the company refused, so Bilott requested a court order. Soon, dozens of disorganized boxes filled with thousands of 50-year-old files arrived at Bilott’s firm.
He was worried he wouldn’t be able to find anything incriminating or even conclusive in the mess of documents, but soon, his time as an environmental lawyer helped him see the bigger picture. It became clear that DuPont had orchestrated a massive cover- up regarding their use of PFOA. PFOA is used in the manufacturing of Teflon, and the company had knowingly exposed workers and the Parkersburg water supply to it. Bilott filed a class-action suit as a medical monitoring claim on behalf of the people of Parkersburg, and, as of 2011, a probable link between PFOA and six health conditions, including two types of cancer, has been found. Because of the medical monitoring claim, plaintiffs can file personal injury lawsuits against DuPont. So far, 3,535 people have. If it weren’t for Bilott and Tennant, the public might have never known the dangers of PFOA.
The cattle farmer had presented evidence of the strange malady plaguing his cattle to lawyers, politicians, and veterinarians in Parkersburg, West Virginia, but no one took Tennant’s case seriously.
But when Bilott saw the evidence for himself, it was clear that something was wrong.
The videos and photographs Tennant had collected showed cattle with patchy fur, growths and lesions, white slime coming from their mouths, and staggering gaits. Tennant told Bilott that the abnormal behavior and physical deformities had started after his brother Jim sold his property to DuPont, a chemical company with a big presence in Parkersburg. Jim’s property bordered on Wilbur’s, and a stream
When a client comes to us with their case, our attorneys understand the importance of gathering evidence as fast as possible to support them. Evidence is a major factor in each of our cases, so we work tirelessly to ensure we have acquired as much as we can. We leave no stone unturned; we realize that any bit of evidence can be the difference between winning or losing a case. In one such case, the evidence we collected not only helped our client but also gave us the facts we needed to overcome the at-fault party. CASE FACTS: Our client suffered an abrupt fall at a restaurant and, unfortunately, landed on a few broken drains. As a result, our client’s leg was severely injured, and he had to be rushed to the hospital. While our client did have an underlying medical condition that contributed to the severity of the injury, it hadn’t caused him to fall in the first place. When our client tried to seek compensation for his injury, the restaurant denied the claim, stating that they were not at fault for the fall, and questioned our client’s truthfulness and injuries. Our client then contacted our office, and we immediately took action. THE OUTCOME: Once we got into the case, our team began to investigate the true circumstances of the fall. Our thorough investigation revealed some vitally important details of the broken and exposed drains. We took pictures of these drains, and after reviewing the evidence, our team was confident we would overcome the restaurant’s denial and ensure our client received the proper compensation. MONTHLY CASE HIGHLIGHT THOROUGH INVESTIGATION PAYS OFF
Although the liability was still hotly disputed even after we shared our findings, we did not yield. We held firm and negotiated a reasonable settlement for our client. Although slip-and-fall cases are typically denied, our experience helped us secure a $400,000 settlement for our client. This not only helped him pay his medical fees but also allowed him to get back to his life before the accident took place.
If you’ve been injured in a slip-and-fall case, contact our office at 916.962.2896. We will fight for you and your claim.
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