In the midst of a class-action lawsuit involving numerous Georgia plaintiffs, some might see a couple’s lawsuit against Georgia-Pacific as just a drop in a bucket full of pollution complaints. To every individual behind a toxic tort case, however, their argument and loss is nothing to underestimate.
The paper making company is the target of a class-action environmental lawsuit. It has appealed the case to the point of the pollution matter going all the way to Georgia’s Supreme Court. Plaintiffs argue that the business’ processes have put toxic gases into the air and compromised people’s health and land values.
Most recently, a couple who lives outside of the area of those involved in the class-action lawsuit added their criticism of the company into the mix. Their environmental lawsuit’s claims are similar to those of the hundreds of other disgruntled Georgia residents. They want the business to be punished for the damage it has done to their property value. They want the plant’s processes to improve.
If the most recent toxic tort against the paper company is any indication, it is possible that other residents could step forward to challenge the business over its impact on the environment and air quality in their area. Perhaps Georgia-Pacific’s supposed damage to the environment has impacted a larger landscape than initially thought.
Business decisions and processes don’t take place in a bubble. A community’s resources and the health of its people are impacted by the companies within it. The economy of a community is important to protect, but so is the environment. Environmental lawyers can help try to preserve that community balance.
Source: Savannah Morning News, “Second pollution lawsuit filed against Georgia Pacific,” G.G. Rigsby, Jan. 22, 2014