Environmental Protection
From the toxic events that spawned “Erin Brockovich” to the oil-stained shores of the Gulf of Mexico, consumer attorneys have toiled to protect Mother Nature from abusive polluters.

Consumer Attorneys of California has worked in the state Capitol to ensure polluters are held accountable. Families are rightly concerned about the increased exposure of harmful chemicals in our bodies; we are especially concerned about the long-term health impacts on children.

While the Legislature has increasingly sought to regulate plastics, Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) (forever chemicals) and other harmful additives, CAOC members have been in the forefront seeking change and justice via the civil justice system. Our members have represented public entities seeking to remove PFAs, benzene and other toxins from our water supply, have represented public safety personnel like firefighters to address chemicals in their uniforms, and have generally pursued actions to result in change so our families’ exposures will be less. We will continue that fight, both in the Legislature and the courts, to ensure environmental justice.

Our Impact
CAOC led a fight in 2018 to stop an effort in the statehouse by manufacturers of poisonous lead-based paint to reverse a legal ruling and avoid accountability for thousands of children who had ingested the paint and were suffering neurological problems and other health issues.

Recently, CAOC stepped up to help Aliso Canyon/Porter Ranch residents attempting to hold Southern California Gas Co. and Sempra Energy accountable for a four-month-long natural gas leak at the massive Aliso Canyon underground gas storage facility in Los Angeles County.

CAOC also played a key role in exposing and holding Volkswagen accountable for “dieselgate,” the scandal first exposed in 2014 involving the car manufacturer’s scheme to install exhaust “defeat devices” in more than 600,000 diesel vehicles it sold in prior years. Consumer attorneys ultimately forced the company to settle and fix or replace all vehicles to ensure a cleaner environment.