Legal

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PFAS: When Confronted With Potential Liability, Know Your History

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Last month, on the heels of our trilogy of blogs related to the Impact of PFAS on Environmental Litigation (Virtual) Conference hosted by Perrin Conferences, TRG attended a subsequent PFAS webinar, which is the subject of this week’s blog.

“Do the Homework on Corporate History” was one of six key takeaway points from the Identification of PFAS Sites and Questions of Legal and Insurance Coverage webinar hosted by Perrin Conferences. The webinar cautioned that, while companies attempting to understand their liability often turn first to insurance archaeology, instead their initial step should be to fully understand their own corporate history and how they became liable in the first place. The webinar pointed out that sales, acquisitions, and mergers all may have affected liability, as well as any active insurance policies.

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PFAS: Civilian Usage and Disposal

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This week we continue our series of blogs reflecting on material covered in the “Impact of PFAS on Environmental Litigation (Virtual) Conference” hosted by Perrin Conferences by examining the growing focus on civilian usage and disposal of PFAS.

When certain PFAS chemicals first became cause for concern, it was the manufacturers of the chemicals themselves—firms such as DuPont and 3M—that were the focus of litigation. As focus broadened to end-users and disposers of chemicals that contained harmful PFAS, it was largely the military that came under scrutiny due to its widespread use of AFFF firefighting foam, as we described in last week’s blog. Today, however, there is also widespread focus on civil users, distributors, and disposers of PFAS-containing material, a point driven home by conference presenters.

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PFAS: Military Usage Still a Major Concern

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Last week we began our series of blogs reflecting on material covered in the Impact of PFAS on Environmental Litigation (Virtual) Conference hosted by Perrin Conferences, with a look at the federal government’s recent actions to address PFAS in the environment. This week, we’ll take another look at military sources of PFAS contamination. TRG has been a pioneer in researching historical usage and disposal of PFAS end-products such as AFFF during the last decade. In the coming years, we expect our research into AFFF and other PFAS and PFAS-containing chemicals to continue to grow, as our current and future clients in both government and the private sector seek out our in-depth knowledge of the relevant federal, state, and local records and our ability to provide detailed information relevant to their cases.

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PFAS: Bold Actions by EPA Expected to Create New Liabilities

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When it comes to PFAS contamination liability, be proactive. That was one of several important messages conveyed at the Impact of PFAS on Environmental Litigation (Virtual) Conference hosted by Perrin Conferences, which Taylor Research Group (TRG) recently attended. Readers familiar with TRG’s work will know that research into PFAS end-product usage and disposal has been one of our specialties for many years now. Yet within environmental law these chemicals—the best known and most infamous being PFOS and PFOA*—have existed in a sort of limbo.

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PFAS: As Litigation Expands, So Does Our Research

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The list of toxic contaminants that spawn costly environmental litigation and propel our research projects expands constantly. One of the latest additions is the family of PFAS (per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances), which currently appear on track to have the same staying power in the world of toxic tort litigation as many of the other chemicals whose production and use we routinely document. Last year, Taylor Research Group highlighted our focus on two PFAS, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which were ingredients in firefighting foam. Since that time, this family of so-called “forever chemicals” has gained increasing attention.

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How to Crack Your Product Liability Case Using Historical Documentation

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Product liability litigation – particularly the prominent billion-dollar verdicts against a manufacturer of talc-based baby powder –  has been making headlines lately. The news that is still flying under the radar? The many archival repositories and libraries that hold the historical information you need to crack your product liability case.

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PFOS and PFOA: Investigating Emerging Contaminants of Concern

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Many of the research cases that we work on involve hazardous contaminants in soil or groundwater. Increasingly, that includes research into the usage and disposal of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).  These chemicals are part of a larger group of chemicals called polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also called perfluorocarbons (PFC). 

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Conducting Research Locally: Challenges & Opportunities

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Tracking down records at the local level is an essential part of our strategy for many of the research cases we take on – from toxic tort and environmental litigation to legal questions emanating from mineral rights and land ownership issues. Local records can hold invaluable information when trying to piece together complex histories of contaminated industrial sites, military bases, public utilities, or other properties and waterways.

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TRG Attends ELI Annual Review Conference

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On Friday, April 6, associates of Taylor Research Group (TRG) attended the 11th annual Environmental Law & Policy Annual Review Conference in Washington, D.C. Hosted by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and Vanderbilt University Law School, the event focused on cutting-edge legal issues in the environmental field.

Accolades

"Taylor Research Group has provided me and my firm with top-notch historical research on a variety of environmental projects. [They] have repeatedly demonstrated the ability to plumb the depths of public and private records repositories to piece together arcane and complex histories. They consistently are able to distill reams of information in concise and easy-to-use reports, making the information both useful and accessible. I value my professional relationship with Taylor Research Group and am grateful for their excellent work on behalf of me and my clients.” - Law Firm

"Thanks for being so professional, prompt and organized." - Law Firm

"Thank you for the great work and professionalism." - Law Firm

"I am confident that without your having found and provided the transcript, we never would have known of the extent of the effort Oklahoma went to in order to use Texas demand for water to justify its reservoir projects. Thank you very much." – Law Firm

"The deck logs that you found for me were very useful in substantiating my claim for the Veterans, without which I don't know where I would have gotten needed information. You and your staff did a great job and I thank you all very much." – Private Client

Everything you have provided us this morning is invaluable….The information you’re finding is a game changer for us.” – Law Firm

"Taylor Research Group has always provided professional customer service and a high quality end result. Additionally, each time they are tasked with a search, we’re provided with options that best fit our budget.” - Law Firm

"The Sierra Club hired TRG in 2014 to research and compile ten years’ worth of data on fossil fuels-related disasters across the United States. We used the data to populate an interactive map showing the breadth of disasters and their impact on communities. TRG provided high quality data and were a great pleasure to work with throughout the process.” - Environmental Organization

“Our surveying firm has used Taylor Research Group to research the National Archives for railroad maps for the last 4 years. The TRG team has been great to work with and saved us a lot of time.” - Law Firm

Taylor Research Group has provided our firm with outstanding research results over the past decade. They often provide research options that we would not have thought of. Their expertise is priceless. We look forward to working with them for another decade — or more.” — Law Firm

“It was a sincere pleasure to work with your team. Those I worked with were extremely knowledgeable and super patient with someone who was trying to get more experience performing historical research. I greatly appreciated the opportunity to observe and learn.” - Fortune 500 Company

Everything you have provided us this morning is invaluable….The information you’re finding is a game changer for us.” – Law Firm

Kelley & Ferraro, LLP has been working with TRG for ten years, during which time we have been provided prompt and detailed research to assist our clients, fair pricing, and great customer service. Our office looks forward to a continued working relationship with TRG.” - Law Firm

"I highly recommend Taylor Research Group to any military vet needing record searches for proof of incident or documentation regarding disability claims. The communication between us was compassionate, and the records were produced in a timely fashion. It can be quite costly to research some records, but Taylor Research Group recognized my military sacrifices and produced what I needed for much less than I expected, and I thank them sincerely." - Veteran