LOS
ANGELES, June 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The
Los Angeles Daily Journal has named plaintiff attorney
Taylor Ernst of Ernst Law Group as one of 2024's California
Lawyer Attorneys of the Year (CLAY) award winners for his landmark
victory in Wright v. Union Oil Company of California. A Santa Barbara Superior Court
jury awarded a $63 million verdict
against Chevron, exposing a decades-long cover-up of benzene's
deadly risks.
Ernst uncovered crucial evidence: A 1948 document by the
American Petroleum Institute, a lobbying group for oil companies,
stating, "It is generally considered that the only absolutely safe
concentration for benzene is zero." Despite this early knowledge,
oil companies literally pushed dirt over the problem, concealing
the toxic threat beneath unsuspecting families' homes.
Dr. Dean Felsher, a Stanford University professor and cancer
researcher, provided powerful insight: "Benzene is not just
carcinogenic, it's genotoxic. This means it damages DNA in a way
that can be passed down to children, creating a toxic legacy that
spans generations." The result is that when oil companies downplay
the dangers of benzene, it becomes a widely used product. According
to the American Cancer Society, "Benzene is one of the 20 most
widely used chemicals in the United
States."
"This wasn't just a trial, it was war," said Ernst. "We exposed
how Big Oil hid the truth for 75 years, putting profits over
people's lives and potentially harming generations to come."
Kevin Wright unknowingly built his
family home on a former oil pit in Santa
Maria, California. Years later, Wright developed a rare
blood cancer, setting the stage for this landmark case.
The jury found that Chevron, which had acquired Union Oil, had
covered up the existence of a toxic pit on which Wright's home was
built. This led to Wright's exposure to benzene and subsequent
cancer diagnosis more than 25 years after living in the home.
"This verdict sends a clear message to corporate giants," Ernst
stated. "If you are a corporation, you should be taking care of
your shareholders, but not at the expense of violating the law and
harming public health."
Ernst's influence extends beyond this case. He has emerged as a
prominent figure in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) litigation,
offering guidance and support to fellow lawyers through seminars
and trial assistance.
The Daily Journal recognized the plaintiff's trial team for both
the 2024 CLAY award and the 2023 Top Verdict for Dollar Amount.
The team includes Taylor Ernst,
Don Ernst, Terry J. Kilpatrick, and Danielle E. Miller; of the Ernst Law Group;
Trial Lawyers for Justice; Jakob Z.
Norman, Brian J. Ward,
Erin L. Powers, and Ansley O'Brien.
This verdict opens the door for countless other potential
victims living on or near former oil sites across America,
challenging Big Oil's toxic legacy and its multi-generational
impact.
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SOURCE Ernst Law Group