Judge In C8 Lawsuits Rules Plaintiffs Do Not Have To Prove Sufficient Dose Of C8
If you believe you or a loved one have been exposed to C8 contaminated drinking water, contact Wright & Schulte LLC for a FREE C8 lawsuit case evaluation at www.yourlegalhelp.com or 1-800-399-0795.
Columbus, OH (PRWEB) January 10, 2015
Wright & Schulte LLC notes a recent a recent ruling by District Judge Edmund Sargus Jr. where he has held to a past 2005 C8 lawsuit settlement agreement that prevents DuPont from challenging the dosage levels of C8 that a panel of medical experts found was the general cause of certain diseases in the community. Judge Sargus, who is presiding over the C8 lawsuits, ruled on December 17 that individual plaintiffs who filed C8 lawsuits in the multidistrict litigation (MDL 2433) against DuPont do not need to show what their individual dose of C8 was nor provide DuPont with “reliable scientific evidence,” such as medical test results, to prove that a “particular dosage was sufficient” to cause their illness. Judge Sargus’ ruling stemmed from the plaintiffs’ motion which asks the judge to clarify that 10 issues, which included the matter of the C8 dosage level, had previously been resolved under the class-action settlement and DuPont cannot challenge these issues in the current C8 lawsuit proceedings. Judge Sargus, who is presiding over the C8 MDL in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio, granted the plaintiffs’ request. (In Re: E.I. DuPont De Nemours and Company C-8 Personal Injury Litigation, MDL No. 2433) (2005 settlement agreement - Leach v. E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co., No. 01-C-608 (W. Va. Cir. Ct.))
The firm is currently representing numerous residents from Ohio and West Virginia in C8 water contamination lawsuits who beleive they have developed such illnesses as thyroid disease, kidney cancer, testicular cancer and other serious diseases caused by exposure to C8 tainted water from DuPont’s Washington Works Plant in Parkersburg West Virginia. Attorney Richard W. Schulte, one of the founding partners and well respected attorney amount his peers, is currently serving on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in C8 litigation. Mr. Schulte was appointed by Judge Sargus who is presiding over C8 lawsuits in the District Court of Southern Ohio.
Wright & Schulte LLC notes there are currently nearly 4,000 C8 water contamination lawsuits pending in C8 Litigation with over 1,400 C8 Lawsuits in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Ohio (Case No. 2:14-Cv-1673) and more than 2400 C8 lawsuits in the Wood County Circuit Court of West West Virginia (The MDL title is: In Re: E.I. DuPont De Nemours and Company C-8 Personal Injury Litigation, MDL No. 2433).
DuPont was sued in 2001 on behalf of nearly 70,000 Ohio and West Virginia residents who lived or worked near DuPont’s Washington Works Plant near Parkersburg, West Virginia where the toxic C8 chemical was released into the private and drinking water supply. A settlement agreement was reached four years later. (Leach v. E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co., No. 01-C-608 (W. Va. Cir. Ct.)) Among the terms of the settlement was the establishment of a C8 Science Panel that would determine whether there were probable links between diseases in the community and exposure to the C8 chemical which DuPont had used for decades at its Washington Works Plant. According to the science panel, perfluorooctanoic acid, or C8 for short, is a man-made chemical used in manufacturing non-stick cookware, and protective finishes on carpets and water-resistant clothing. The panel, consisting of three epidemiologists, found that there was a probable link between C8 and six health disorders:
- High Cholesterol
- Kidney Cancer
- Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension (pre-eclampsia)
- Testicular Cancer
- Thyroid Disease
- Ulcerative Colitis (inflammatory bowel disease)
[c8sciencepanel.org/c8health.html]
[c8sciencepanel.org/prob_link.html]
The class-action settlement agreement also allowed individuals, or their survivors, who lived or worked in one of the six affected water districts in Ohio and West Virginia prior to December 4, 2004, to file a C8 personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit if they, or their loved ones, suffered from a disease which the C8 Science Panel linked to exposure to the C8 chemical. (Leach v. E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co., No. 01-C-608 (W. Va. Cir. Ct.)) The six water districts affected by C8 contaminated water are:
- City of Belpre, Ohio
- Little Hocking, Ohio
- Lubeck Public Service District, West Virginia
- Mason County Public Service District, West Virginia
- Tuppers Plains, Ohio
- Village of Pomeroy, Ohio
[c8sciencepanel.org/panel.html]
In its response to the plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary disposition, DuPont argued that the C8 Science Panel’s findings were “limited” and the company reserved its ability to contest all issues, except the issue “that it is probable that exposure to C-8 is capable of causing a particular” probable link condition. In his ruling, Judge Sargus pointed out to DuPont that the company agreed in the original settlement that in any personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit brought by a class-action member, the company would not “contest the issue of general causation between C8 and any human diseases as to which a probable link has been delivered.” (In Re: E.I. DuPont De Nemours and Company C-8 Personal Injury Litigation, MDL No. 2433)
About Wright & Schulte LLC
Wright & Schulte LLC, an experienced personal injury firm, is dedicated to the belief that America’s legal system should work for the people. Every day, the attorneys of Wright Schulte LLC stand up for the rights of people who have been injured or wronged, and fight tirelessly to ensure that even the world’s most powerful corporations take responsibility for their actions. If you’re looking for a law firm that will guarantee the aggressive and personal representation you deserve, please do not hesitate to contact Wright & Schulte LLC today. Free DuPont C8 lawsuit case evaluations are available through yourlegalhelp.com, or call 1-888-399-0795.
Contact:
Wright & Schulte LLC
812 East National Road
Vandalia, Ohio 45377
1-800-399-0795
http://www.yourlegalhelp.com
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