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Ford County, Kansas, has filed a class action lawsuit against petrochemical giants like ExxonMobil, accusing them of misleading the public about the recyclability of plastic. The county claims these companies, along with industry groups, falsely marketed plastic recycling as a viable solution to plastic waste, despite the U.S. recycling rate being under 10%. The lawsuit argues that these deceptive practices have contributed to a public nuisance of plastic waste.

Supported by reports from the Center for Climate Integrity, the lawsuit highlights that while plastic production is increasing, recycling efforts are insufficient. Staff attorney Chelsea Linsley criticized the industry’s promotion of “advanced recycling” as ineffective at addressing the growing plastic waste crisis.

In response, ExxonMobil defended its efforts, arguing the lawsuit doesn’t advance real solutions and pointing to their investments in recycling technologies. Industry groups like the American Chemistry Council also rejected the claims, urging Ford County to focus on improving its own recycling infrastructure. This lawsuit follows a similar action in California, with Ford County becoming the first U.S. county to challenge the plastic industry in this way.

This blog is intended to provide information to the general public and to practitioners about developments that may impact Oregon class actions.

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Carrier Global Corporation has agreed to a substantial $730 million settlement to address claims related to its fire protection subsidiary, Kidde-Fenwal’s, use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These chemicals, often referred to as “forever chemicals,” have come under increasing scrutiny due to their potential health risks and environmental impact. The settlement stems from numerous lawsuits alleging that Carrier’s firefighting foam products contributed to contamination and health issues, making it a significant development in the ongoing battle against PFAS-related litigation.

Under a court filing in Delaware, payment would be made to local governments, companies, and individuals who alleged the firefighting foam contaminated drinking water and soil near airports and military bases.

This settlement is one of the largest in recent years regarding PFAS claims, reflecting the mounting pressure on companies to address environmental and health concerns tied to these substances. Carrier’s decision to settle underscores the rising legal challenges faced by manufacturers and highlights a growing trend of accountability in industries linked to PFAS contamination. As regulatory scrutiny intensifies, this case may set a precedent for future cases, prompting other companies to reconsider their practices related to hazardous materials.

This blog is intended to provide information to the general public and to practitioners about developments that may impact Oregon class actions.

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Stoll Berne has been recognized in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” rankings.

Firms on this list are acknowledged for their professional excellence, earning consistently high ratings from clients and peers. A tiered ranking reflects both the quality of legal practice and the firm’s broad expertise. Our firm was ranked in the following areas:

National Tier 3

  • Advertising Law

Metropolitan Tier 1 (Portland, OR):

  • Advertising Law
  • Appellate Practice
  • Bet-the-Company Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Litigation – Antitrust
  • Litigation – Intellectual Property
  • Litigation – Patent
  • Litigation – Securities
  • Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs
  • Real Estate Law
  • Securities / Capital Markets Law

Metropolitan Tier 2 (Portland, OR):

  • Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
  • Tax Law

Stoll Berne attorney Emily Johnson will present at the Lewis & Clark Law Students Panel and Happy Hour Event “Giving Voice to the Voiceless: How to Represent the Underdog and Make Money Doing it.” Emily will be part of an engaging panel that will explore strategies for advocating for clients in need while building a thriving legal practice. This event will be held today Thursday, November 7th at the Lewis & Clark Law School Campus. To Learn more about this event and others, click here.

Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) has reached a hefty $2.8 billion settlement to wrap up a class-action lawsuit from healthcare providers who claimed the insurer engaged in unfair practices that hurt their reimbursement rates. This lawsuit highlighted some serious concerns about competition in the healthcare market, and the settlement is set to provide much-needed financial relief to thousands of affected providers.

Beyond the money settlement, BCBS has also promised to improve their practices by creating a system-wide information platform facilitating member benefits, eligibility verification and claims tracking, to make things more transparent moving forward. The settlement is the largest ever for a healthcare antitrust case.

This blog is intended to provide information to the general public and to practitioners about developments that may impact Oregon class actions.

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Stoll Berne has been recognized again this year by The Portland Business Journal as a top philanthropist company in Portland for the 2023 financial year in the Small Company Category.

Our firm has always strongly encouraged generosity, volunteerism, community involvement and sustainability. At Stoll Berne we aim to make a meaningful impact and embodying these core values in our actions.

To learn more about this year’s philanthropist awards, click here.

 

A tentative trial date has been established in the ongoing sex discrimination lawsuit against Nike, which accuses the company of fostering a workplace culture that discriminates against women. The suit, initiated by a former employee, alleges that female staff members were consistently overlooked for promotions and subjected to unfair pay practices compared to their male counterparts. As the case progresses, it is expected to bring significant attention to issues of gender equity within corporate environments, particularly in a prominent company like Nike.

This lawsuit comes amid broader discussions about gender discrimination in the workplace, with many advocates urging companies to reassess their policies and practices. The outcome of this case could have far-reaching implications, not only for Nike but also for other organizations navigating similar allegations. As the trial date approaches, both the public and the business community will be closely watching how this case unfolds and what it may reveal about systemic issues within corporate culture. Plaintiffs argue that Nike withheld key evidence and are seeking further discovery, while Nike claims that they have complied with court orders and provided substantial documentation. The tentative trial is scheduled for March 10, 2025.

This blog is intended to provide information to the general public and to practitioners about developments that may impact Oregon class actions.

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A recent ruling by a U.S. District Judge has allowed a class-action lawsuit concerning hair relaxer products, specifically targeting brands like L’Oréal and Revlon, to move forward. The lawsuit claims that these manufacturers misled consumers about the safety and effectiveness of their products, with allegations that they exaggerated benefits while downplaying potential health risks linked to cancer. The lawsuit is based on a National Institutes of Health study showing that regular users of these hair relaxer products are more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer. L’Oréal and Revlon have denied any connections between their products and cancer, with L’Oréal expressing confidence in their safety.

This decision is significant as it could lead to increased legal scrutiny of hair care products and their marketing practices, particularly those aimed at women of color. While the judge dismissed certain claims related to personal injury, the focus will primarily be on the reimbursement aspect for consumers, concentrating on economic and punitive damages. Rowland previously allowed the broader litigation, which includes over 8,500 lawsuits, to continue, citing sufficient evidence of negligence and failure to warn consumers. This ruling underscores a growing trend in consumer protection and highlights the need for transparency in product marketing. As the case progresses, it may not only impact the companies involved but also spark broader discussions about consumer rights and the responsibility of manufacturers in the beauty industry.

This blog is intended to provide information to the general public and to practitioners about developments that may impact Oregon class actions.

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Stoll Berne attorney Erin Roycroft presented at the ONLD & U of O Portland Program event, “Career Changes in Your First Few Years of Practice: How to do it, when to do it, and what it would look like.” As an attorney who made a few early career transitions before ultimately landing her “dream job” at Stoll Berne (her words), Erin and other newer attorneys discussed their thoughts on how to navigate career moves during the first few years of practicing law. The event was held Wednesday, October 30th at the new U of O campus in NE Portland.

New York-based law firm Pomerantz LLP has filed a motion for preliminary approval on a $70 million settlement against Wynn Resorts Ltd. Hundreds of shareholders will split the class action settlement stemming from allegations that the company didn’t disclose the sexual misconduct of former CEO Steve Wynn. Shareholders of Wynn Resorts Ltd. allege their stock shares plummeted as a result of the 2018 sexual misconduct allegations and the failure of Wynn executives to announce any information once they were made aware of the allegations.

The case centers around misleading statements made by Wynn Resorts between March 28. 2016, and February 12, 2018. This was just weeks after media reports about the sexual harassment scandal were published. The complaint alleges defendants were aware of numerous allegations of sexual misconduct made against the former CEO over the span of several decades and defendants repeatedly denied those allegations and helped to cover them up.

Share prices saw a drastic decline in price after the scandal surfaced, dropping from $200 a share in 2018 to around $96 a share a year later. Currently, the stock is trading for around $80 a share.

This blog is intended to provide information to the general public and to practitioners about developments that may impact Oregon class actions.

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Stoll Berne, along with seven individual attorneys, were recently selected to be included in the 2025 edition of Benchmark Litigation, a definitive source for the world’s leading litigation firms and lawyers. Stoll Berne is honored to once again be ranked as “Highly Recommended” by Benchmark Litigation. Our award recipients include:

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Stoll Berne

Attorneys

A proposed class action against the consumer goods company Church and Dwight has been filed in Manhattan Federal court. The popular condom brand Trojan has been called out for producing unsafe products, in particular their ‘Ultra Thin’ brand of condoms for containing per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS.

PFAS have become known as “forever chemicals” due to the fact that they do not break down easily in the human body or environment. These forever chemicals are linked to many negative health effects such as cancers, hormone imbalance and higher cholesterol.

Plaintiffs are seeking at least $5 million in damages for affected buyers nationwide.

This blog is intended to provide information to the general public and to practitioners about developments that may impact Oregon class actions.

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A combined $57.4 million payout has been agreed upon by three meat industry giants to settle a proposed class action lawsuit. Cargill, National Beef Packing, and Hormel have been accused of suppressing wages for workers at 140 different processing plants. This decision brings the total settlement to over $200 million since the lawsuit was initiated in 2022.

Tens of thousands of workers allege a years-long conspiracy among leading processors to keep wages low through the sharing of confidential compensation data.

This blog is intended to provide information to the general public and to practitioners about developments that may impact Oregon class actions.

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We are pleased to announce that Stoll Berne attorney Elizabeth Bailey Kinsman is one of 10 attorneys selected for the 2024-2025 Oregon Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA) Leadership Academy.

The application process for this unique academy is available to OTLA attorney members who have been practicing for 10 years or less. Selected members engage in hands-on leadership training that develops skills and techniques essential to successful leadership in their practice, the legal profession, and community at large. The Academy also includes observation at the legislature and appellate courts, designing and completing a service project, and invitations to social events with leaders of the bar, elected officials, and members of the judiciary.

Elizabeth is an associate in Stoll Berne’s litigation group where she focuses on complex litigation matters. She specializes in complex environmental matters, securities fraud, business litigation, and class actions. Elizabeth joined the firm in 2019 after clerking for the Honorable David W. Christel of the U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington in Tacoma.

Carsen Nies has joined the law office of Stoll Berne as an associate attorney. Carsen’s practice will focus on complex litigation matters including environmental torts, securities fraud, and class actions.

She was most recently a Judicial Law Clerk with the Oregon Supreme Court, where she worked for the court’s central staff division and clerked for Justice Stephen K. Bushong. There, she provided recommendations to the court and helped draft the court’s decisions involving complex and novel issues of state law. During law school, she also served as a Legislative Extern for the ACLU of Washington, a Certified Law Clerk for the Federal Public Defender’s office in Portland, and an Advocacy Intern for Columbia Legal Services. Her justice-oriented focus and her varied legal experiences throughout Washington and Oregon inform her day-to-day litigation work at Stoll Berne. Carsen received her law degree, cum laude, from Seattle University School of Law and her undergraduate degree from the University of Puget Sound. During law school, she was the Editor-in-Chief of the Seattle Journal for Social Justice from 2021-2022, a member of the Moot Court Board, and competed in the National Appellate Advocacy Competition in 2022 and the James E. Bond Moot Court in 2021 where she was a semi-finalist.

A class action complaint was filed against Delta Airlines in the United States District Court of the Northern District of Georgia. This comes after more than 3,000 complaints against the airline were made. The suit is centered around the airline mishandling refunds, forcing travelers to take on significant expenses for rebooking flights, accommodations, and other travel-related costs. Passengers were also separated from their luggage, leaving those vulnerable without necessary medication, clothes, and personal belongings.

Delta has been criticized over the massive flight disruption caused by the global CrowdStrike outage in July. While most other airlines recovered quickly from the July 19th tech outage, thousands of Delta passengers were left stranded.

Alongside the progressing class action suit against Delta, The U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating why Delta failed to recover as quickly as their other competitors. They will also be examining the Atlanta based companies’ customer service, calling it “unacceptable”. Delta plans to proceed with legal action against CrowdStrike and Microsoft.

This blog is intended to provide information to the general public and to practitioners about developments that may impact Oregon class actions.

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We are honored that Stoll Berne’s very own ‘Habeas Corpse’, with lead singer Tim DeJong and drummer Travis Cody, together with three other legal professionals, were crowned “Best Oregon Lawyer Band 2024” at the Multnomah Bar Association “Battle of the Lawyer Bands.”  Habeas Corpse also won the “Audience Choice” award. This is Habeas Corpse’s third time winning “Best Band” and second time winning “Audience Choice’. You can learn more about the annual event here. Congratulations Habeas Corpse!

After recalling more than 7 million pounds of meat products linked to a deadly listeria outbreak, Boar’s Head is now facing a potential class action lawsuit. The lawsuit against the popular deli meat company was first filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York on August 1st. The lawsuit alleges that deli products were improperly, deceptively, and misleadingly labeled.

Boar’s head is under fire for failing to expose the full extent of possible Listeria contamination. 34 people have been sickened, 33 hospitalized, and two have died.

This blog is intended to provide information to the general public and to practitioners about developments that may impact Oregon class actions.

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Stoll Berne is thrilled to announce that twelve of our attorneys were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2025®. Additionally, two attorneys, Cody Berne and Rob Shlachter received a Portland, Oregon Lawyer of the Year designation. Best Lawyers is a purely peer-reviewed legal awards network highlighting top legal talent around the world. To learn more about their methodology, visit their website at bestlawyers.com.

  • Appellate Practice
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Bet-the-Company Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Litigation – Securities
  • Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs
  • Securites / Capital Markets Law
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Litigation – Antitrust
  • Litigation – Securities (Portland, OR Lawyer of the Year)
  • Securities / Capital Markets Law
  • Advertising Law
  • Litigation – Intellectual Property
  • Litigation – Patent
  • Litigation – Securites
  • Appellate Practice (Ones to Watch)
  • Commercial Litigation (Ones to Watch)
  • Litigation – Environmental (Ones to Watch) 
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Litigation – Securites
  • Securites / Capital Markets Law
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Advertising Law
  • Bet-the-Company Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Litigation – Antitrust
  • Litigation – Securites
  • Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs
  •  
  • Real Estate Law
  • Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships
  • Real Estate Law
  • Tax Law
  • Advertising Law
  • Bet-the-Company Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Litigation – Intellectual Property
  • Litigation – Patent (Portland, OR Lawyer of the Year)
  • Trade Secrets Law

Stoll Berne attorney Emily Johnson received the Oregon Trial Lawyer Association’s (“OTLA”) New Lawyer of the Year Award at the annual convention in August 2024.

Emily’s involvement in OTLA and her work representing victims of the 2020 Oregon Labor Day Fires against Berkshire Hathaway’s PacifiCorp contributed to her selection for this award. Emily is an OTLA board member and is involved in several sections and committees, including the New Lawyer Section, Membership Committee, Legislative Committee, and Publications Committee. She is an alumni of OTLA’s leadership academy.

Emily is an associate in the firm’s litigation group where she focuses on complex litigation matters. She was an integral part of the James v. PacifiCorp trial team, representing victims of the 2020 Oregon Labor Day fires against PacifiCorp, in which the jury found in favor of the class after a two-month trial, finding that PacifiCorp acted negligently, grossly negligently, recklessly and willfully against the entire class, which PacifiCorp estimated included 5,000 people.  She is part of the trial team in the ongoing damages trials in James v. PacifiCorp, where to date, three juries have returned verdicts, totaling $220 million for 36 plaintiffs. Emily was also a key member of the team representing the State of Oregon in litigation against Monsanto for damages to the state’s public trust resources from PCB contamination, obtaining the largest environmental settlement in Oregon History, and she was a member of the team representing the City of Seattle against Monsanto, which recently obtained a historic settlement against for PCB contamination to the Lower Duwamish Waterway. Emily is currently a member of the teams representing State of Delaware and the State of Maryland in PCB litigation against Monsanto.

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