NEWS
Stag Liuzza, LLC is a plaintiff-oriented environmental and complex litigation law firm. Stag Liuzza’s practice has grown to include maritime, personal injury, toxic torts, mineral royalties, and defective pharmaceutical/medical device litigation.

BY STAG LIUZZA • MARCH 22, 2023
On February 6, 2023, a train carrying acrolein and other chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, due to overheated bearings. The derailment caused the release of acrolein into the air, posing significant risks to those exposed to surrounding area. Acrolein is a highly toxic and flammable liquid …
FILED UNDER: IN THE NEWS
ACROLEIN IN THE AIR IN EAST PALESTINE, OHIO
BY STAG LIUZZA • MARCH 22, 2023
On February 6, 2023, a train carrying acrolein and other chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, due to overheated bearings. The derailment caused the release of acrolein into the air, posing significant risks to those exposed to surrounding area. Acrolein is a highly toxic and flammable liquid commonly used in the production of plastics, synthetic rubber, and industrial chemicals. Acrolein is generally a clear liquid with a pungent, overpowering odor. Acrolein is highly flammable and may polymerize violently.
Acrolein is a Highly Toxic Chemical Irritant
Inhalation is one of the primary routes of exposure for acrolein. The release of the chemical into the air can lead to severe health problems for those in its vicinity. Anyone can inhale acrolein released into the air. Even low levels of exposure to the chemical can cause respiratory irritation, resulting in coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Prolonged exposure to even low levels of acrolein can cause more severe respiratory problems, including bronchitis and asthma. Acute high dose exposure can lead to a build up of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema) and may lead to death. Permanent lung damage can result from short term high dose exposure as well as chronic low dose exposure.
Children More Susceptible to Acrolein Exposure
Acrolein is also a potent irritant that can cause burns or damage to the skin and eyes. Furthermore, if the chemical enters the bloodstream, it can cause systemic toxicity, leading to organ damage or even death. Children exposed to the acrolein vapor may receive a larger dose because their ratio of lung surface area to body weight is greater. Additionally, Acrolein vapor is typically found in higher levels near the ground due to its density. This results in children often receiving a larger dose in the same location.
Inhalation Exposure Can Reach Well Beyond the Site of an Accident
In East Palestine, local and state officials evacuated the immediate area around the derailment site and emergency responders worked to contain the spill. However, the risks of acrolein exposure through inhalation pathway exist beyond the immediate vicinity of the derailment site. Moreover, Acrolein can persist in the environment for an extended period, particularly in areas with poor ventilation or high humidity. Consequently, individuals living or working near the derailment site may continue to face acrolein exposure risks for several weeks or even months after the derailment. To minimize acrolein exposure risks through inhalation, it is crucial to take precautions.
Local Officials Recommended Shelter in Place
Local and state officials issued a shelter in place order following the derailment of the Norfolk Southern train. The shelter in place order advised those living near the derailment site, to remain inside with windows and doors closed. Local authorities also recommended the use of ventilation systems (A/C or fans) to circulate air inside the home or workplace. Authorities told people in the area to avoid outdoor activities, particularly exercise, until local authorities give the all-clear.
If you think you have been exposed, seek medical attention
If anyone experiences symptoms of acrolein exposure, such as respiratory irritation, eye irritation, or skin irritation, medical attention should be immediately sought. Even if symptoms are not immediately apparent, individuals may still face long-term health effects from acrolein exposure. The East Palestine train derailment caused significant risks of acrolein exposure through inhalation. Those living near the site need to take precautions and should be vigilant about signs of damages from acrolein exposure.
OUR team
We prefer doing to talking (except in court), We take the bull by the horns and give you clear and practical advice. Personal, to the point, and in plain language. Any questions? Feel free to call or to drop by.
$1.056 billion verdict against Exxon Mobil
$1.056 billion verdict against Exxon Mobil
Stag Liuzza fights industry giants across the country and holds them accountable for their actions. We strive to ensure that communities have access to safe drinking water, clean air, and a healthy environment.
- One Canal Place 365 Canal Street Suite 2850 New Orleans, LA 70130
- 504-593-9600
StagLiuzza.com is operated and provided by Stag Liuzza, LLC responsible attorneys Michael G. Stag and Ashley M. Liuzza. Stag Liuzza, LLC is officed in New Orleans, LA, and our attorneys are licensed in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Our attorneys have appeared before various Federal Courts throughout the United States including those in Louisiana and Mississippi as well as before various federal agencies in administrative proceedings on behalf of our clients.
Nothing on this site should be taken to establish an attorney-client relationship with us unless and until a contract for representation is signed. The attorneys of Stag Liuzza are licensed in Louisiana and Mississippi and may associate counsel licensed in other jurisdictions as necessary.
Past results do not guarantee any similar result or outcome in your claim. Each claim is different.
BY STAG LIUZZA • MARCH 20, 2023
Injuries can be devastating. The road to recovery is stressful. It can be a long and frustrating process. The insurance company might refuse to handle your claim fairly, accuse you of exaggerating, or making things up. If you must file a lawsuit, it can be overwhelming. Typically, our clients have …
FILED UNDER: ENVIRONMENTAL TORTS, IN THE NEWS, AUTO ACCIDENTS, PERSONAL INJURY
PICKING THE RIGHT PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER
BY STAG LIUZZA • MARCH 20, 2023
Injuries can be devastating. The road to recovery is stressful. It can be a long and frustrating process. The insurance company might refuse to handle your claim fairly, accuse you of exaggerating, or making things up. If you must file a lawsuit, it can be overwhelming. Typically, our clients have never been involved in a lawsuit and it is the most stressful thing in their life.
The lawyer you hire is important.
There are a lot of things that are unknown and uncontrollable in a lawsuit. You were injured, out of your control. How badly you were hurt, out of your control. Whether the insurance company will handle your claim fairly, or force you to trial, out of your control. But of the things you can control, no single thing has a bigger impact on the value of your case than the lawyer you hire. You need to make sure you have the right one.
Lawyers are not all the same.
Each personal injury law firm has its own business model. Some advertise extensively and rely on a high volume of clients. Most people are familiar with them. Some are household names. Most personal injury firms are not big advertisers. They tend to specialize and handle a smaller number of cases.
Some focus on certain types of injuries, like brain injury, spinal injury, or death. Others may center on the type of work or conduct that caused the injury, like oil and gas, medical malpractice, or trucking. Even more, some law firms focus on a particular stage of the litigation, pre-litigation, filing and discovery, or trial. There are even specialists within those subparts.
How do you know if the firm you call is right for you?
Ask questions before you sign a contract. Do they go to trial? How often? Do they specialize in a specific area? Do they work with law firms that handle your type of case? Are they willing to? How many cases do they have right now? Do they have the resources to take your case to trial? How is the lawyer paid? How are the case expenses paid? If your case is not successful, will you owe anything?
You need to have a relationship of trust.
Your lawyer should be frank, open, and honest. If they are not shooting straight with you, or get frustrated when you ask simple questions, go somewhere else. You deserve a great lawyer.
OUR team
We prefer doing to talking (except in court), We take the bull by the horns and give you clear and practical advice. Personal, to the point, and in plain language. Any questions? Feel free to call or to drop by.
$1.056 billion verdict against Exxon Mobil
$1.056 billion verdict against Exxon Mobil
Stag Liuzza fights industry giants across the country and holds them accountable for their actions. We strive to ensure that communities have access to safe drinking water, clean air, and a healthy environment.
- One Canal Place 365 Canal Street Suite 2850 New Orleans, LA 70130
- 504-593-9600
StagLiuzza.com is operated and provided by Stag Liuzza, LLC responsible attorneys Michael G. Stag and Ashley M. Liuzza. Stag Liuzza, LLC is officed in New Orleans, LA, and our attorneys are licensed in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Our attorneys have appeared before various Federal Courts throughout the United States including those in Louisiana and Mississippi as well as before various federal agencies in administrative proceedings on behalf of our clients.
Nothing on this site should be taken to establish an attorney-client relationship with us unless and until a contract for representation is signed. The attorneys of Stag Liuzza are licensed in Louisiana and Mississippi and may associate counsel licensed in other jurisdictions as necessary.
Past results do not guarantee any similar result or outcome in your claim. Each claim is different.
BY STAG LIUZZA • FEBRUARY 15, 2023
Asbestos is a mineral. It is mined from the earth and for many years, it was used in a wide range of products. These include building materials like insulation, ceiling and floor tiles, and roofing shingles, heat resistant fabrics, and brake products. Most people were surprised to hear that it might …
FILED UNDER: IN THE NEWS
OIL AND GAS WORKER INJURY LAWSUITS
BY STAG LIUZZA • MARCH 17, 2023
Asbestos is a mineral. It is mined from the earth and for many years, it was used in a wide range of products. These include building materials like insulation, ceiling and floor tiles, and roofing shingles, heat resistant fabrics, and brake products. Most people were surprised to hear that it might be in talc products that we all use, like baby powder.
TALC IS IN LOTS OF HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS.
Talc is used in lipstick, mascara, face powder, eye shadow, foundation, and children’s makeup. It is typically the main ingredient in baby powder. Johnson & Johnson is a huge pharmaceutical company. For decades it sold baby powder, not only for profits, but for brand imaging.
WHY IS SOME TALC CONTAMINATED WITH ASBESTOS?
Talc and asbestos are both minerals. They grow together within the earth. A talc mine can have asbestos in it. So, when you mine the talc, you can get asbestos along with it. Unlike talc, asbestos is a known carcinogen.
FINDING ASBESTOS IN JOHNSON & JOHNSON’S TALC.
According to Reuters, in the late 1950s, a Johnson & Johnson consulting lab described contaminants in talc as fibrous and acicular, or needle-like, tremolite. Highly fibrous “tremolite” is asbestos. Over the next fifty years, Johnson & Johnson scientist and talc suppliers made similar findings. Reports describe the contaminates as “fiberform” and “rods.” These are terms typically applied to asbestos.
Johnson & Johnson failed to tell regulators that from 1972-1975 three tests by three different labs found asbestos in its talc. But most internal Johnson & Johnson reports do not find asbestos.
JOHNSON & JOHNSON SAYS THERE IS NO ASBESTOS IN ITS TALC.
Johnson & Johnson says lawyers are distorting historical documents and thousands of independent tests prove talc does not contain asbestos. They say any suggestion that Johnson & Johnson knew or hid information about the safety of talc is false.
TALC USERS DEVELOP MESOTHELIOMA AND OTHER CANCERS.
Talc users have developed mesothelioma. Mesothelioma, or “asbestos cancer” is rare. There are about 3,000 new cases diagnosed each year. 8 out of 10 people with mesothelioma have been exposed to asbestos. But asbestos is also associated with ovarian cancer. Initially, lawsuits alleged that talc caused the cancers. It was not until plaintiff lawyers uncovered documents identifying asbestos fibers in talc that the link was made.
LAWSUITS AGAINST JOHNSON & JOHNSON
A St. Louis jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $4.69 billion to 22 women who proved that baby powder caused them to develop ovarian cancer. Currently, Johnson & Johnson faces tens of thousands of personal injury lawsuits related to its talc products.
OUR team
We prefer doing to talking (except in court), We take the bull by the horns and give you clear and practical advice. Personal, to the point, and in plain language. Any questions? Feel free to call or to drop by.
$1.056 billion verdict against Exxon Mobil
$1.056 billion verdict against Exxon Mobil
Stag Liuzza fights industry giants across the country and holds them accountable for their actions. We strive to ensure that communities have access to safe drinking water, clean air, and a healthy environment.
- One Canal Place 365 Canal Street Suite 2850 New Orleans, LA 70130
- 504-593-9600
StagLiuzza.com is operated and provided by Stag Liuzza, LLC responsible attorneys Michael G. Stag and Ashley M. Liuzza. Stag Liuzza, LLC is officed in New Orleans, LA, and our attorneys are licensed in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Our attorneys have appeared before various Federal Courts throughout the United States including those in Louisiana and Mississippi as well as before various federal agencies in administrative proceedings on behalf of our clients.
Nothing on this site should be taken to establish an attorney-client relationship with us unless and until a contract for representation is signed. The attorneys of Stag Liuzza are licensed in Louisiana and Mississippi and may associate counsel licensed in other jurisdictions as necessary.
Past results do not guarantee any similar result or outcome in your claim. Each claim is different.
Get a free consultation
OUR team
We prefer doing to talking (except in court), we take the bull by the horns and give you clear and practical advice. Personal, to the point and in plain language. Any questions? Feel free to call or to drop by.
$1.056 billion verdict against Exxon Mobil
$1.056 billion verdict against Exxon Mobil
Stag Liuzza fights industry giants across the country and holds them accountable for their actions. We strive to ensure that communities have access to safe drinking water, clean air, and a healthy environment.
- One Canal Place 365 Canal Street Suite 2850 New Orleans, LA 70130
- 504-593-9600
StagLiuzza.com is operated and provided by Stag Liuzza, LLC responsible attorneys Michael G. Stag and Ashley M. Liuzza. Stag Liuzza, LLC is officed in New Orleans, LA, and our attorneys are licensed in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Our attorneys have appeared before various Federal Courts throughout the United States including those in Louisiana and Mississippi as well as before various federal agencies in administrative proceedings on behalf of our clients.
Nothing on this site should be taken to establish an attorney-client relationship with us unless and until a contract for representation is signed. The attorneys of Stag Liuzza are licensed in Louisiana and Mississippi and may associate counsel licensed in other jurisdictions as necessary.
Past results do not guarantee any similar result or outcome in your claim. Each claim is different.