Feb 20, 2019   SOURCE: BusinessWire

City of Baltimore Becomes First East Coast City to File PCB Lawsuit Against Monsanto Company

Today, the national law firm of Baron & Budd announced that together with Baltimore’s City Solicitor, Andre M. Davis, it has filed a lawsuit against Monsanto Company, Solutia, Inc., and Pharmacia LLC, alleging the companies are responsible for contaminating the City’s stormwater and other water bodies with highly toxic Polychlorinated Biphenyl chemicals (PCBs). The case number is 1:19-cv-00483.

The lawsuit is the first of its kind on the East Coast. Nationally, the City of Baltimore is the 15th municipality to file a similar suit, joining a list cities and states including the cities of San Diego, Long Beach, Portland, and Seattle, and states that include Washington, Oregon, and Ohio.

Monsanto was the sole U.S. manufacturer of PCBs from the 1930s to the 1970s when Congress banned the manufacturing of PCB-containing products. PCBs are carcinogenic and can contaminate food supplies, including consumable fish. Monsanto’s PCBs are toxic, cannot be contained to their original application, and remain in the environment for decades.

The City of Baltimore’s suit alleges that at the time of manufacture and promotion, Monsanto knew its PCB chemicals were toxic, could not be contained to their original applications, and would not degrade in nature. The lawsuit further alleges that PCB chemicals pose significant public health concerns, because PCBs bioaccumulate in fish, aquatic animals, and humans.

“The simple fact is that PCBs created by Monsanto represent one of the most prolific man-made water contaminants in the world,” said Baron & Budd Shareholder, John Fiske. “The City of Baltimore has taken an important stand today by joining several cities and states across the country to hold Monsanto accountable for the mess it has created.”

The lawsuit does not demand a specific amount of monetary damages, however, City Solicitor Davis confirmed he believes Monsanto has caused contamination resulting in “at least tens of millions of dollars” in legal damages.

ABOUT BARON & BUDD, P.C.

Baron & Budd, P.C. is among the largest and most accomplished plaintiffs’ law firms in the country. With more than 40 years of experience, Baron & Budd has the expertise and resources to handle complex litigation throughout the United States. As a law firm that takes pride in remaining at the forefront of litigation, Baron & Budd has spearheaded many significant cases for hundreds of entities and thousands of individuals. Since the firm was founded in 1977, Baron & Budd has achieved substantial national acclaim for its work on cutting-edge litigation, trying hundreds of cases to verdict and settling tens of thousands of cases in areas of litigation as diverse as dangerous pharmaceuticals and defective medical devices, asbestos and mesothelioma, environmental contamination, fraudulent banking practices, motor vehicles, employment, and other consumer fraud issues.