Benzene Litigation

Hunton Andrews Kurth’s product liability and mass tort litigation team, which is ranked as a top national practice in The Legal 500 (2018), has extensive experience defending claims alleging exposure to benzene and solvents. We represent and serve as national coordinating counsel for companies involved in benzene litigation, ranging from refineries to manufacturers sued for trace levels of benzene allegedly present in their products. Our trial lawyers understand the science and regulations surrounding benzene, and our experience enables us to advise on industry developments and successfully defend our clients across the country—including in plaintiff-friendly jurisdictions like California, Illinois, West Virginia and St. Louis, Missouri. 

Our benzene lawyers have litigated cases involving environmental liability, product liability, occupational injuries and public nuisance, among others, with substantial experience defending claims involving allegations of cancer, neurologic  harm, immune deficiency disorders, and other long-latency diseases.  We have handled cases involving air, water, soil and fire/explosion-related exposures, and mass evacuations in which the facets of regulatory compliance, public relations and litigation issues are intertwined.

As national coordinating counsel for manufacturer defendants, we have developed and implemented a cross-jurisdictional strategy for cases pending across the US, including managing local counsel, coordinating consistent discovery responses, and working closely with the company to ensure that its litigation strategy matches its corporate strategy and goals.  Our representative  experience includes:

• National coordinating counsel for a consumer chemical products manufacturer in connection with its benzene litigation.
• National coordinating counsel for multinational industrial manufacturer in litigation arising from alleged trace benzene exposure from paint and coating products.
• Regional counsel for a multinational oil company and its subsidiaries in all of their benzene and butadiene litigation in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
• Negotiated favorable settlements in over 200 benzene and butadiene cases and obtained over 30 dismissals for major international oil and gas company.
• Led defense of a railcar leasing company in defending multiple personal injury, property damage, regulatory and environmental claims, including groundwater contamination, in state and federal courts in West Virginia arising out of a tank car spill of benzene product in a residential neighborhood.