This week's recommendation is also our book giveaway selection. The recommendation review is by a Karen Haven, a librarian at College of Coastal Georgia.
Exposure by Robert Bilott (Atria Books, 2019) Enter to win a copy!
A young lawyer working for a law firm that defends chemical corporations gets a call one day from a farmer from Parkersburg, W.V., looking for someone to help him. It appears that the chemical plant upstream from his farm was leaking something into the waters that was killing the farmer’s cattle.
At first, Robert Bilott did not want to take the case because his firm defended chemical companies. However, the farmer, Earl Tennant, invoked Bilott’s grandmother’s name so he felt he should at least talk with the man. What Bilott heard and the evidence he saw gave him pause and he decided to take the case. Thus begins the 20-year saga of Rob Bilott’s battle with DuPont.
Bilott discovered Dupont was dumping an unregulated toxin known as PFOA into a landfill that was leaching into the public water in and around Parkersburg, W.V., PFOA was used in Teflon which was used on non-stick pots and pans, stain-resistant fabrics, and water-repellant clothing. The horrifying thing about it is that DuPont knew the dangers of PFOA and kept that knowledge hidden. Even as Bilott learned how hazardous PFOA was, DuPont constantly insisted it was safe.
This story uncovers one of the worst cases of corporate greed and environmental contamination in the United States. The cover-up of the dangers of the chemicals they were leaking in the water put tens-of-thousands people’s lives at risk. Bilott put his career and his marriage in jeopardy by his relentless pursuit of this case but prevailed in the end by reaching a class-action settlement with DuPont on behalf of 70,000 people and settling over 3,500 lawsuits with awards totaling 671 million dollars.
Robert Bilott’s determination and belief in the story of one farmer helped a community learn that their biggest employer was poisoning them. You will be outraged at the lengths DuPont went to in order to keep their secret.
Robert Bilott is a partner at Taft Stettinius & Hollister, LLP in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has been practicing environmental law and litigation for over 28 years.
he motion picture Dark Waters with Mark Ruffalo was inspired by this story. -- Karen Haven
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