At an industry presentation about dangerous “forever chemicals,” lawyers predicted a wave of lawsuits that could dwarf asbestos litigation, audio from the event revealed.
The defense lawyer minced no words as he addressed a room full of plastic-industry executives. Prepare for a wave of lawsuits with potentially “astronomical” costs. Speaking at a conference earlier this year, the lawyer, Brian Gross, said the coming litigation could “dwarf anything related to asbestos,” one of the most sprawling corporate-liability battles in United States history.
Mr. Gross was referring to PFAS, the “forever chemicals” that have emerged as one of the major pollution issues of our time. Used for decades in countless everyday objects — cosmetics, takeout containers, frying pans — PFAS have been linked to serious health risks including cancer. Last month the federal government said several types of PFAS must be removed from the drinking water of hundreds of millions of Americans.
There needs to be prison time.
If you can personally cash in today, and leave the consequences for the company to handle 30 years later, there’s a massive incentive to be reckless.
They should be paying restitution in perpetuity. Same with big oil and carbon reduction. The “one and done” fine system could never put a dent in the damage these companies have done.
Create a new annual fiscal penalty on the violators’ profits until their damage has been resolved, then watch how fast those fuckers motivate to end a crisis.
They’ll get a small fine, a golden parachute for the executives, and lot’s of finger wagging and you will just have to accept it!