Haynes and Boone, LLP Partner Ann Al-Bahish talked with Bloomberg Law about how the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted litigation around complex per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS).
Here is an excerpt:
Though stay-at-home orders are easing up in some parts of the country, many court cases will take months or longer to get back on track.
The delays mean further uncertainty for the already slow-moving mass of hundreds of lawsuits targeting manufacturers and users of the so-called forever chemicals—and leave litigants in limbo while they wait for proceedings to restart.
The delays could also create a disadvantage for those affected by PFAS contamination.
Ann L. Al-Bahish, an attorney for Haynes and Boone, LLP in Houston, said some states may have to divert resources for the foreseeable future from PFAS-related spending to focus on the pandemic.
But in the long term, she said the pandemic is creating increased public awareness of health issues, which could translate to judges, juries, and potential litigants in PFAS litigation “more attuned to the public health impacts on people,” said Al-Bahish, who has a Ph.D. in public health.
To read the full article, click here.