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| PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
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Attorney Joe Gonzalez has been nationally recognized as a leading expert in toxic tort and environmental litigation. Mr. Gonzalez has chaired, co-chaired and spoken at various
events put on by water regulation officials, litigation trade groups, and environmental justice not-for-profit organizations. Specific organizations include: theLos Angeles County Bar association, Mealey's Publications
and Prop 65 News. Topics addressed by these groups include ground water litigation, property clean up, problems associated MTBE and underground storage tank discharges, statutory enforcement actions, toxic tort
litigation as well as public policy and regulatory issues.
Mr. Gonzalez was formally lead counsel for Masry & Vititoe, the firm depicted in the movie
Erin Brockovich.
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EXPERIENCE |
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Was lead counsel for CBE on several complex actions, including Federal District Court and State Superior Court litigation, as well as administrative appeals before the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
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Prosecuted environmental statutory actions under California's Proposition 65, Business & Professions Code 17200, Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ("RCRA"), administrative civil rights actions and policy advocacy surrounding the disproportionate impact of pollution trading schemes, and Clean Air Act cases. Worked closely with legislators, local governmental officials and local public prosecutors throughout the litigation process.
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Prosecuted cases using Proposition 65 and RCRA. In one action, successfully compelled polluters to excavate a stretch of coastline that included the town of Avila Beach, California. The town was impacted by approximately several thousand gallons of gasoline that had been released below its surface from underground oil spills over several decades.
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Lead counsel for Masry & Vititoe on various direct and class actions involving ground water contamination cases outside of California. Represented over one hundred (100) individuals who had their water contaminated by methyl tertiary butyl ether ("MTBE") which is still in ongoing litigation in Los Angeles Superior Court. Kubas, et al. v. Unocal, et. al., Case No. BC 191876.
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Prosecuted cases using Proposition 65 and RCRA. In one action, successfully compelled polluters to excavate a stretch of coastline that included the town of Avila Beach, California. The town was impacted by approximately several thousand gallons of gasoline that had been released below its surface from underground oil spills over several decades.
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Also represented various plaintiffs in direct actions lawsuits involving other ground water litigation involving PCE, benzene, hexavalent chromium ("Chrome 6") as well as other contaminants.
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Other actions prosecuted throughout the country include Atkins, et al. v. Exxon Mobil et al., Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Sullivan, Index No. 175-01 (on behalf of several hundred plaintiffs claiming personal injury and property damages due to MTBE and benzene exposure); Holten et al. v. Chevron, et al., Civil Action No.: 3-00-CV-04703 (AET), United States District Court, for the District of New Jersey, Trenton Village (representing community members whose private water wells have been impacted by chemicals); Maynard, et al. v. Amerada Hess Corp., et al., North Carolina, County of New Hanover, In The General Court of Justice Superior Court Division, 99-CVS-00068 (co-counsel in a class action seeking private well water testing and property damages); In Re: Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether ("MTBE") Products Liability Litigation, United States District Court, Southern District of New York, Master File C.A. No. 1:00-1898 (SAS) MDL 1358 (Class action seeking monitoring well testing on behalf of individuals living on well water in "non-attainment" states that use reformulated gasoline containing MTBE); Bichmaf et al. v. Exxon Mobil Corp., et al., Superior Court of New Jersey, Passaic County Law Division, Docket No.: L-2837-01 (co-counsel representing over twenty plaintiffs alleging injury due to MTBE contamination.); Clark et al v. The City of Santa Rosa et al, State of California Superior Court, County of Sonoma, Case No. 227896 (lead counsel for plaintiffs with PCE/TCE contamination in families' well water); Lopez et al v. County of Stanislaus and City of Modesto, State of California Superior Court, County of Stanislaus, Case No. 309778 (lead counsel for plaintiffs with PCE contamination in family well water for $1.9 million settlement); and Quemado Plaintiffs v. Exxon Mobil Corporation et al, United States District Court, Western District of Texas, Del Rio Division, Civil Action No. DR-03-CA-19-OLG/DG (lead counsel for plaintiffs with benzene, toluene and MTBE in families' well water).
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BACKGROUND |
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Litigated cases involving over 5,000 petroleum spill sites and have been a member of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board's "Working Group on Leaking Underground Storage Tanks" for over five years.
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Co-chaired various events put on by water regulation officials, litigation trade groups, and environmental justice not-for-profit organizations. Specific organizations include: the Los Angeles County Bar association, Mealey's Publications and Prop 65 News. Topics addressed by these groups include ground water litigation, problems associated MTBE and underground storage tank discharges, statutory enforcement actions, toxic tort litigation as well as public policy and regulatory issues.
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HISTORY |
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| OCT 2010 - PRESENT |
Managing Partner, Gonzalez Zola Wegman |
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Litigation firm in Westlake Village, CA specializing in Envirionmental, Business, Real Estate and Criminal Defense Law. |
| SEP 2002 - SEP 2010 |
Managing Partner, Gonzalez & Robinson |
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Litigation firm specializing in Envirionmental, Business and Real Estate Law. |
| MAR 1998 - SEP 2002 |
Lead Environmental Litigation Attorney, Masry & Vititoe |
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Envirionmental Litigation firm that was featured in the Hollywood Movie "Erin Brockovich". |
| OCT 1997 |
Licensed Attorney, Admitted State of California |
| 1996 |
Certificate in Environmental Law with distinction |
| 1995 |
Environmental Law Institute Scholarship recipient |
| 1994 |
Master's Degree, History |
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