Next Porter Ranch Town Hall Meeting: Friday Jan. 22

Our firms have organized another town hall meeting on Friday, January 22, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills to address the Porter Ranch community’s biggest concerns regarding the ongoing gas well blowout.

In response to our client’s most pressing questions, we’ve arranged for a panel of experts to attend and speak on health, legal, and environmental concerns.

The event is free and open to the public. All residents affected by the crisis will have the opportunity to give voice to the questions that have not yet been addressed and learn about the long term consequences of the SoCalGas blowout.

Our lawyers Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Patricia Oliver will be there to speak to all of your legal questions. Attorney Robert Glassman of Panish, Shea & Boyle LLP will moderate. Our team of attorneys, paralegals and support staff will stay after to answer any additional questions attendees may have.

The meeting will cover:

• Health effects
• Relocation assistance and disputes
• Timeline of the lawsuit
• Reimbursements
• Effects on pets
• Tips on how to continue coping with the crisis

Methane gas continues to leak unabated over the homes of Porter Ranch, into the surrounding areas, and the atmosphere. Although a State of Emergency has been declared and  government leaders continue to call for SoCalGas to take responsibility and shut down the well, new infrared footage and studies of benzene levels in the air cast doubt on the utility and state’s progress in resolving the crisis.

We encourage residents who have not experienced adverse health effects as a result of the leak to attend. Those who have been have experienced the noxious odors or been evacuated may also be entitled to compensation due to the loss of use and enjoyment of their homes and businesses. Find out more information about the crisis here or by following our Twitter and Facebook pages.

 

Date:

Friday, January 22, 2016

Location:

Warner Center Marriott – Grand Ballroom

21850 Oxnard Street

Woodland Hills, CA 91367

Times:

5:30 pm – Client/Resident Check-in

6:00 pm – Town Hall Meeting to begin

Find out more event details here.

Appearing on our panel are experts from various legal, medical, and environmental fields, including:

Congressman Brad Sherman*
Brad Sherman is currently a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from the 30th district of California. Born and raised in southern California, Congressman Sherman represents California’s San Fernando Valley, and has been in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1997. He is currently serving his tenth term. Congressman Sherman has developed a reputation as a fierce advocate for strong environmental standards ever since his amendment to the annual Budget Resolution that provided $700 million for the acquisition of environmentally important lands in 1998. Sherman also secured $20 million to acquire land and to complete the Backbone Trail through the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. He currently enjoys a 100% rating from the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters.

Congressman Steven Knight**
Steven Knight is currently a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from the 25th district of California. Congressman Knight is a native of the Antelope Valley, and has been loyally serving the state of California for decades. Following the completion of his service in the Army, Congressman Knight was a police officer for the LAPD for 18 years. Since his retirement he has served on the Palmdale City Council, in the California State Assembly, and the California State Senate prior to becoming the a U.S. Congressman. Currently, Congressman Knight serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Committee on Science, Space, & Technology, and the House Small Business Committee.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s reputation as a resolute defender of the environment stems from a litany of successful legal actions. Mr. Kennedy was named one of Time magazine’s “Heroes for the Planet” for his success helping Riverkeeper lead the fight to restore the Hudson River. The group’s achievement helped spawn over 200 Waterkeeper organizations across the globe. He has worked on environmental issues across the Americas and has assisted several indigenous tribes in Latin America and Canada in successfully negotiating treaties protecting traditional homelands. He is credited with leading the fight to protect New York City’s water supply. The New York City watershed agreement is regarded as an international model in stakeholder consensus negotiations and sustainable development. Currently, Mr. Kennedy serves as the Chief Prosecuting Attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper and President of Waterkeeper Alliance. He is also a Clinical Professor and Supervising Attorney at Pace University School of Law’s Environmental Litigation Clinic and is co-host of Ring of Fire on Air America Radio.

Brian Panish
Brian Panish has worked on numerous high profile mass torts and major disaster cases against large corporations and secured record verdicts, including large recoveries from SoCalGas. In 2008, Panish Shea & Boyle obtained a $15M jury verdict in 2008 for a 14-year-old boy who was hit by a SoCalGas company truck. This year, the California Court of Appeals upheld a $19.8M jury award obtained by the firm in favor of plaintiff Pengxuan Diao, against SoCalGas for a gas leak that exploded and caused him severe harm. Panish has been recognized year after year by his peers for excellence in law and is ranked among the “100 Most Influential Attorneys” in America by the National Law Journal.

Bardia Anvar
Dr. Anvar has treated over 100 patients since November with symptoms as a result of the Porter Ranch Gas Leak. Board-certified general surgeon Bardia Anvar, M.D. is founder & medical director of Valley Urgent Care in Northridge and medical director of Skilled Wound Care in West Los Angeles.  He majored in neuroscience and received his Bachelor of Science degree from UCLA, received his M.D. from Mt Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and completed his general residency training at UC Irvine.

John Tegzes
Currently holds the position of Director of Interprofessional Education and Professor of Toxicology (Veterinary Medicine) at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, CA. Graduated Magna Cum Laude from Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 1983-1985 with a BS in Nursing (BSN). Earned his Master of Arts in Applied Psychology (MA) from University of Santa Monica, Santa Monica, California; 1987-1989, and his Veterinariae Medicinae Doctoris (VMD) from University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 1991-1995. Tegzes is one of only 83 a Board Certified veterinary toxicologist in the U.S. He serves as the Secretary/Treasurer of the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology (ABVT) and is also the President of Veterinary Education Worldwide (ViEW). Tegzes is also a registered nurse.

Robert Glassman
Robert Glassman is an associate trial attorney at Panish Shea & Boyle LLP where he litigates large and complex personal injury, wrongful death and product defect cases on behalf of individuals. He has been named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers Magazine since 2013 and has received numerous other awards and accolades for his legal and leadership work within the Los Angeles legal community. Prior to his firm taking on SoCalGas in the Porter Ranch case, Mr. Glassman faced off with the gas company in a case settled in 2014. Mr. Glassman was able to extract $20 million from SoCalGas for his client when he was able to prove the home exploded due to their negligence.

Patricia Oliver
Patricia Oliver co-leads the special litigation team at R. Rex Parris where she oversees cases involving wage theft, antitrust violations, and water contamination from oil production and waste injection wells.  She recently received nationwide media attention for her groundbreaking work in helping Palla Farms and other California farmers in investigating the source of salt-water contamination in surrounding aquifers. Patricia spent most of her career in private practice, specializing in high stakes class action litigation in state and federal courts across the country. She has a history of obtaining large settlements from big companies such as the $4.4 million dollar settlement she recently obtained for her clients from DirecTV, Inc.

 

*Congressman Sherman and his office do not endorse any litigation strategy and do not recommend the retention of any specific lawyer or law firm in connection with the Aliso Canyon gas leak.  Mr. Sherman and his staff’s appearance at this meeting is limited to providing an update on the actions he is taking to urge the federal, state and local governments to address the leak and to offer his constituent services unrelated to any litigation.

**Congressman Knight and his office do not endorse any litigation strategy and do not recommend the retention of any specific lawyer or law firm in connection with the Aliso Canyon gas leak.  Mr. Knight and his staff’s appearance at this meeting is limited to providing an update on the actions he is taking to urge the federal, state and local governments to address the leak and to offer his constituent services unrelated to any litigation.