Toxic Tort

Thompson Coburn’s Toxic Tort attorneys first gained national recognition in the mid-1980s, when they defended Monsanto in several mass dioxin cases. One of those cases, Kemner v. Monsanto Co., brought by 65 plaintiffs, is the longest jury trial in U.S. history. Monsanto paid no damages in that case, and following its conclusion all of the remaining plaintiffs, numbering several hundred, voluntarily dismissed their cases without receiving a cent.

Since then, we have handled thousands of toxic tort cases for chemical and petroleum companies, agribusinesses, railroads and others. We have earned a reputation for achieving outstanding results both in settlement and at trial, a notable achievement because many of these cases were brought in the City of St. Louis and the Illinois counties of Madison and St. Clair, which have a history of substantial plaintiff verdicts.

We have successfully defended toxic tort cases throughout the country, including in Arizona, California, Colorado, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. In addition, we have served as national counsel to companies in the rail, automobile and general manufacturing industries in more than 20 states.