Liskow achieved a significant victory for Waste Connections, as the Eastern District of Louisiana recently denied class certification in a mass tort lawsuit alleging widespread odors and chemical emissions from the Jefferson Parish Landfill. Ictech-Bendeck v. Waste Connections Bayou, Inc., — F.Supp.3d —-, 2025 WL 932772 (E.D. La.).
The ruling followed extensive briefing and a two-day hearing during which Liskow conducted primary witness examinations. Through effective briefing and the skillful examination of thirteen witnesses, Liskow established that plaintiffs’ claims were unsuitable for class action certification.
Plaintiffs sought to certify a class of over 76,000 residents from Jefferson Parish’s East and West Banks, alleging exposure to landfill emissions over a thirty-month period. In collaboration with colleagues at Beveridge & Diamond, Liskow demonstrated that individual trials on damages and causation were necessary due to the plaintiffs’ varying experiences with wind patterns, preexisting health conditions, and alternative emission sources.
The denial of class certification provides a vital strategic advantage for environmental defendants. Effective opposition of class certification is crucial for clients to ensure fairness and avoid undue pressure to litigate against overly broad plaintiff classes without individualized harm.
The Liskow team was led by Michael Mims and Cherrell Taplin, with Michael Cash, Alec Andrade, and Brady Hadden providing critical support in securing the Ictech-Bendeck victory. Liskow is well equipped to handle complex class certification disputes and mass tort matters, with a deep bench of seasoned environmental and toxic tort specialists to advise industry clients in exposure cases and other environmental challenges.
