Lawyer Bio : Bradford A. De Vore

For over 25 years, Brad De Vore has represented energy, paper, chemical, pharmaceutical, manufacturing and mining companies in toxic tort, products liability, government enforcement and environmental litigation in the Southern United States including North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas and Alabama. Brad approaches these matters with the understanding that they present significant financial and media concerns for his clients. His experience with the fate and transport of chemicals and agents and their impact on human health and the environment has allowed for successful results in a number of complicated toxic tort, product liability, environmental litigation and emergency response matters. His cases have involved a variety of chemical substances, materials and products, including the following:

• asbestos
• fertilizers
• molds
• bacteria (e-coli and enterococcus)
• hexavalent chromium
• mercury
• dioxins/furans
• MTBE
• solvents
  • TCA
  • TCE
  • PCE
  • methylene chloride
  • 1.4-dioxane
  • others
• PCBs
• hydrogen sulfide
• benzene
• textile dyes
• ethylene oxide
• lead
• styrene
• hydrazine
• polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
• radioactive materials
• pesticides/herbicides
  • paraquat
  • diazinon
  • pendamethalin
  • others

Brad has experience with Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs ) with respect to environmental issues including Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act related compliance and surface and groundwater contamination.

He also is experienced with assessing and defending claims of trespass and nuisance and related claims of adverse health effects and devaluation of property values allegedly associated with operations such as landfills, petroleum terminals, CAFOs and contaminated industrial sites.

Some of his recent experience includes:
Defending chemical manufacturer in a class action in West Virginia that includes claims for medical monitoring and personal injuries.

Defending multiple defendants in wrongful death claim alleging exposure to polyaromatic hydrocarbons (asphalt).

Defending client against claims of diminished property value and personal injuries alleging exposure to bacteria and mold.

Defending manufacturer against claims of dimunition in property value due to alleged solvents contamination.

Defending electrical energy provider in PCB cleanup matter with U.S. EPA.

Defending personal injury and property damage claims involving pesticides and herbicides for a major agricultural chemical manufacturer.

Defending public utility in multiple personal injury cases concerning alleged exposures at a nuclear plant.

Defending multiple petroleum companies in MTBE cases in North Carolina that include claims for personal injury and property damage.

Defending multiple wrongful death claims against company with respect to alleged exposure to benzene and other petroleum related chemicals alleged to have been emitted from a former facility.

Responding to and defending clients with respect to accidental releases of chemicals (transportation releases, facility fires/explosions and other accidental releases).

Defending pulp and paper manufacturer in numerous class actions and other cases alleging property damage and personal injuries due to alleged exposure to dioxins/furans.p>

Defending chemical company against 20 million dollar claim alleging costs of cleanup and lost property value due to a chemical fire involving pesticides and herbicides. Defeated plaintiff's claims, including a statutory strict liability claim, at summary judgment on the "Daubert" theory that plaintiff's experts did not have the requisite information to render an opinion on causation or damages.

Lead counsel in defeating class actions in North Carolina and South Carolina. The South Carolina case involved claims of wrongful death, personal injury and medical monitoring for approximately 15,000 South Carolina workers who were allegedly exposed to products containing ethylene oxide based copolymers. The North Carolina case involved claims for wrongful death, personal injury, property damage and medical monitoring allegedly associated with exposure to benzene and other components of gasoline through air emissions.

Defending chemical companies in two wrongful death claim cases in South Carolina alleging exposure to products containing benzene and ethylene oxide.

Successfully defending multiple bladder cancer cases filed in North Carolina federal courts alleging exposure to certain textile dye products.

On behalf of Fortune 100 pharmaceutical company successfully pursuing Fortune 100 agricultural chemicals corporation for cleanup costs at North Carolina location.

Successfully defending NEPA case against approximately 100 million dollar North Carolina manufacturing facility. Plaintiffs sought to enjoin construction and operation of facility on the basis that required environmental assessments were not properly conducted and that the facility would adversely impact the environment.

Defending clients in "mold" litigation involving claims of wrongful death, personal injury and property damage.

Defending solid waste landfill permitting decisions and common law claims of personal injury and nuisance allowing for construction and operation of multi-million dollar landfill facilities in South Carolina and North Carolina.

Assisting chemical manufacturing client in pre-litigation and litigation activities concerning "environmental justice" claims that its South Carolina facility be relocated and the company pay reparations for past alleged environmental and personal injury damages to surrounding community.

Successfully defending environmental criminal cases in North Carolina.

Successfully defending companies in multiple notice of violation matters in North Carolina, South Carolina and other states.

Representative Clients
Amerada Hess Corporation; Bayer CropScience; Chemtrade Logistics, Inc.; ConocoPhillips Company; Cognis Corporation; Duke Energy Corporation; Exxon Mobil Corporation; GlaxoSmithKline Inc.; Hamilton Beach Brands, Inc.; International Paper Company; Republic Services, Inc.; Rhodia Inc.; Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc.