Public Entity Law

JUSTICE FOR EACH CLIENT TO IMPROVE OUR COMMUNITIES

Singleton Schreiber is the “go to” law firm for any municipality involved in high stakes litigation. The firm’s attorneys have practiced public law in California for more than two decades in complex, high-profile matters, often obtaining notable results in the process. The firm has deep experience in representing public entities in times of crisis, whether it be massive and destructive wildfires, water contamination, and/or the pharmaceutical opioid crisis.  

Our lawyers have served in the San Francisco City Attorney’s office, Calaveras County Counsel’s office, Ohio Attorney General’s office, Yolo County Counsel’s office, and the San Mateo County District Attorney’s office.  This in-house experience sets the firm apart because we understand firsthand how strained the resources of most municipalities are, and the unique way litigation works with governmental agencies. Our attorneys have served as special outside counsel to large and small public entities from the beginning of a crisis to settlement in large-scale litigation.

Our firm works with municipalities on:

• Environmental Disasters
• Wildfire Cases
• Pharmaceutical Matters
• PFAS/Forever Chemical Litigation
• Social Media Litigation

And many other "mass tort" cases.

Singleton Schreiber’s Public Entity Group consists of a powerhouse roster of attorneys, including the firm’s Partners Britt Strottman, Andrew Bluth, and Chris Rodriguez.

TYPES OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND DISASTERS

Year after year, large corporations, utilities, and oil companies violate environmental laws and put the health and safety of millions at risk. Whether this be oil spills, natural gas leaks, water contamination, wildfires, chemical exposure or some other hazard, residents in all types of communities are constantly barraged with harmful and toxic substances. 

Seen as trusted advocates, the firm’s legal team is able to provide expert analysis on the legal and environmental impact of these disasters and help local agencies sort through the process.

Wildfire Litigation

Wildfires are becoming more and more prevalent and cause large-scale damage to urban, suburban and rural communities alike.  After a wildfire, public entities need to recover damages from flooding, water contamination, roads, staff time, emergency services and strain in general on public resources.  

On average, wildfires destroy nearly 5 million acres in America every year, leading to considerable damage to properties and the surrounding environment. These fires travel rapidly, and can sometimes contribute to mudslides that leave people, as well as wildlife, tragically hurt or killed. 

Singleton Schreiber is recognized nationally as the Leading Fire Litigation Firm and has recovered $2.5 billion with over 30 fires handled from various states.  Over the past two decades, our legal team has represented more victims of utility-caused fires than any other California firm, and he is one of the state’s leading experts on utility-fire litigation. Our firm has represented over 26,000 victims of utility fires in California, Washington, Utah, Hawaii, New Mexico and Oregon. 

Our attorneys have experience representing the counties of Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Lake, Yuba, Butte and Nevada as well as the cities/town of Napa, Santa Rosa, Clearlake and the Town of Paradise in the deadly and devastating wildfires in 2017 and 2018 and recovered $1 Billion from Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), one of the largest utilities in the nation.

Pharmaceutical/Drug Manufacturer Litigation

Every day, consumers place their trust in those who manufacture, market, prescribe and distribute drugs with the assumption that these companies want to help, not harm them. Unfortunately, drug companies are not always transparent, and have no problem putting potentially harmful drugs into the hands of vulnerable, trusting people.

Many companies put big profits before consumer safety by rushing substandard products to the market or failing to warn patients of dangerous or fatal side effects. Defective drugs are often marketed without full knowledge of risky side effects due to inadequate testing, or concealment of test results, and the FDA’s approval doesn’t always guarantee a drug’s safety or efficacy. Sadly, when this happens, consumers who have used the products as intended suffer needless, sometimes fatal harm at the hands of negligent companies.

Pharmaceutical companies who deceive the public for financial gain often get away without being held accountable for their wrongdoings.  However, the public deserves the right to hold pharmaceutical and drug manufacturers liable for the deceptiveness they portray to the public. 

Singleton Schreiber seeks “Justice for Everyone” and has litigated against the following medications: 

• Terbutaline is a medication for asthma that was prescribed off-label frequently to women between 2002 and 2011 to keep them from going into labor prematurely. After a 2017 ruling by the California Supreme Court, anyone prescribed the drug Brethine (generic name Terbutaline) during pregnancy to prevent premature labor can sue Novartis, one of the drug’s manufacturers. This drug may be linked with cases of autism. Visit our Terbutaline page for more information.

FOREVER CHEMICAL LITIGATION

People in all walks of life are being exposed to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through their drinking water, working with machines, and even acting as first-responders. Individuals living on military installations throughout the United States have been exposed to water contaminated by PFAS, as have firefighters working with fire suppression foam. Studies have also found that people living in cities and towns with large manufacturing hubs are also regularly exposed to these harmful chemicals.

PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” are man-made chemicals that include PFOA and PFOS. They’ve been used for more than 80 years in the United States, and despite efforts to phase them out, they continue to live in water sources and in living organisms for years. 

PFAS chemicals have been found in everything from food sources to household polishes to animals in the wild.

ONGOING PFAS (PERFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES) LITIGATION

Litigation for water contamination and other injuries caused by PFAS through Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) has been consolidated in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, presided over by Judge Richard M. Gergel (Case No. MDL 2873). 

AFFF (“aqueous film-forming foam”) is a sprayable type of foam that is specifically designed to extinguish high-intensity fires fueled by accelerants such as gasoline. The active chemicals in AFFF firefighting foam belong to a family of chemicals known as PFAS (poly-fluoroalkyl substances).

Presently there are over 2,000 cases consolidated in the MDL, composed of individual plaintiffs alleging personal harm and entities seeking damages for cleanup costs and other harm. More than 40 Defendants have been sued in connection with the AFFF litigation to ensure that they will be held accountable for the harm they caused. 

SOCIAL MEDIA LITIGATION

Children, adolescents, and teenagers in the United States are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis due to the increased use of social media.  Emerging research connects social media usage to these mental health struggles.

In May 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an Advisory urging action and further research on how social media affects children and teens. While the Advisory notes some benefits of social media, it also highlights concerns:

• Over the past decade, social media use among adolescents has surged, with up to 95% using at least one platform and more than 33% using it almost constantly.
• Adolescents who spend more than 3 hours per day on social media are twice as likely to experience poor mental health, including symptoms of depression and anxiety.
• Social media platforms are designed to maximize user engagement, which can lead to excessive use and behavioral issues.
• Large social media companies profit at the expense of youth health, contributing to problems like poor sleep, online harassment, poor body image, low self-esteem, and higher depressive symptoms from excessive use.

Not only does social media cause physiological and psychological distress, but our school systems — the teachers, counselors, and administrators — are left to carry the burden of remedying these implications.

Singleton Schreiber and our partners are exploring lawsuits on behalf of the school districts.  Contact our team today to learn more.

Singleton Schreiber’s Public Entity Team

Few law firms can boast the significant level of experience with public entities in the time of a disaster as Singleton Schreiber. With a team of top-notch attorneys, many of whom have worked at public agencies with in-depth knowledge of environmental investigations and high-profile matters, the firm is uniquely equipped to handle these types of complex matters. In addition, the firm often represents hundreds or thousands of individuals in tort and Multi-District Litigation matters, some of the most complex cases to litigate. 

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