43RD ANNUAL PUBLIC JUSTICE GALA & AWARDS DINNER | 2025 TRIAL LAWYER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Held v. State of Montana
First constitutional climate change case ever to go to trial secures historic ruling from Montana Supreme Court striking down as unconstitutional a state law that forced government agencies to ignore greenhouse gas emissions when approving fossil fuel projects and declaring a fundamental right to a stable climate system.
Legal Team: Nate Bellinger, Julia Olson, and Mat dos Santos of Our Children’s Trust; Phil Gregory of Gregory Law Group; Barbara Chillcott and Melissa Hornbein of Western Environmental Law Center; and Roger Sullivan of McGarvey Law.
In re Red Dust Claims
Twenty-seven-year litigation battle against alumina refinery plant for negligent storage of red mud piles containing carcinogen – a byproduct of the refining process – resulted in significant recoveries for low-income St. Croix residents affected by hurricane which blew toxic red dust on to their properties.
Legal Team: Lee J. Rohn and Rhea Lawrence of Lee J. Rohn & Associates, LLC; and Rick Yelton and Jayde Encalade of Burns Charest LLP
Wren v. Affinitylifestyles Inc. and Brown v. Affinitylifestyles Inc.
Product Liability and consumer protection lawsuits secured an unprecedented $8.3 billion in combined verdicts against bottled water company that poisoned consumers with rocket fuel chemical.
Legal Team: Will Kemp, Eric M. Pepperman, and Breanna K. Switzler of Kemp Jones, LLP; and Theodore Parker, III, of Parker, Nelson & Associates