Keller Rohrback & Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein File Class Action Lawsuit on Behalf of Those Affected by the Refugio Oil...
June 01 2015 - 8:47PM
Business Wire
Attorney Advertising. Keller Rohrback L.L.P. and Lieff Cabraser
Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, which represented those affected by
the Exxon Valdez oil spill, today filed a class action lawsuit
against Plains All American Pipeline (NYSE:PAA) stemming from the
Refugio State Beach oil spill in Santa Barbara.
This Smart News Release features multimedia.
View the full release here:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150601006856/en/
Keller Rohrback Files Class Action
Lawsuit on Behalf of Fishers, Businesses and Individuals Affected
by the Refugio Oil Spill in Santa Barbara (Photo: Business
Wire)
The class action complaint alleges the Texas-based company
negligently operated the pipeline, Line 901, causing a rupture that
discharged over 100,000 gallons of crude oil onto beaches and into
the Pacific Ocean, damaging ecologically and economically
significant natural resources. The complaint claims violations of
state and federal laws.
“In Santa Barbara, those environmental impacts translate to
profound economic impacts. In the short term, the oil from Plains
All American’s ruptured pipeline has closed fishing grounds and
shellfish areas, and caused canceled reservations from tourists who
otherwise would be spending their money on hotels, restaurants,
kayaking or surf trips, and fishing charters,” the complaint
says.
The complaint was filed on behalf of Stace Cheverez, a sea
urchin diver and nearshore fisherman. Plains All American’s oil
spill has led to the closure of areas where Cheverez customarily
fishes for commercially valuable nearshore species like Grass
Rockfish.
“Santa Barbara values and relies on clean beaches and clean
oceans,” said Matthew Preusch, an attorney in Keller Rohrback’s
Santa Barbara office. “This spill threatens that.”
“The purpose of this lawsuit is to repair the damage done to
local fisherman and businesses, and to hold Plains accountable for
all the harm it has wrought on the Santa Barbara community,” said
Robert Nelson, a partner in LCHB’s San Francisco office.
Plains All American Pipeline is no stranger to oil spills. The
company has accumulated 175 safety and maintenance infractions
since 2006. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration shows Plains’ rate of incidents per mile of pipe is
more than three times the national average.
“In short, Defendant has an ugly tradition of operating
pipelines that fail. The communities through which it transports
oil suffer the consequences,” the complaint alleges.
The spill, which triggered California Governor Jerry Brown to
declare a state of emergency, may have extreme effects on both the
environment and economy. Two beaches have been closed and nearby
hotels have been fielding calls from concerned visitors who planned
on visiting Santa Barbara, one of Southern California’s top tourist
destinations, over Memorial Day weekend.
If you would like to learn more about the complaint, please
contact attorneys Matthew Preusch or Daniel Mensher at (800)
776-6044 or via email at info@kellerrohrback.com.
A copy of the complaint is available at krcomplexlit.com.
Keller Rohrback represented fishermen, landowners, and
businesses located in Prince William Sound in their action against
Exxon to recover damages caused by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. A
federal jury awarded a $5 billion judgment in favor of Keller
Rohrback clients. Additional claims against the pipeline owner were
settled for $98 million.
Keller Rohrback has also handled environmental litigation
involving home heating oil, contaminated drinking water,
contaminated sediments, landfill leachate, metal smelting and
finishing wastes, tank farms, chemical plants, gas stations, and
major manufacturing concerns.
Keller Rohrback, with offices in Seattle, Phoenix, New York, and
Santa Barbara, serves as lead and co-lead counsel in class actions
throughout the country. The firm’s Complex Litigation Group is
proud to offer its expertise to clients nationwide, and our trial
lawyers have obtained judgments and settlements on behalf of
clients in excess of seven billion dollars.
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP is a sixty-plus
attorney law firm with offices in San Francisco, New York and
Nashville. It is among the largest law firms in the United States
that only represent plaintiffs. Since its founding in 1972, Lieff
Cabraser has litigated and resolved hundreds of class action
lawsuits and thousands of individual cases.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar
outcome.
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150601006856/en/
Keller Rohrback L.L.P.Matthew Preusch or Daniel Mensher,
Attorneys800-776-6044info@kellerrohrback.comwww.krcomplexlit.com
Plains All American Pipe... (NYSE:PAA)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Plains All American Pipe... (NYSE:PAA)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024