Washington, D.C. – Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) Executive Director Lindsey de la Torre issued the following statement in response to the amicus brief filed in the U.S. Supreme Court by a coalition of national trade associations and legal reform organizations in ConAgra Grocery Products Company, et al. v. The People of the State of California. The lawsuit seeks to overturn a billion dollar judgment holding paint manufacturers liable for removing lead paint from private homes where it was lawfully sold and applied decades ago:

“The national implications of this lawsuit are underscored in the brief filed today by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review this case and overturn a major, unsound departure in liability law. Manufacturers are standing up against this concerning trend of baseless lawsuits seeking to impose massive legal liability on manufacturers through the expansion of so-called “public nuisance” lawsuits.

“The stakes are high. If the Supreme Court does not provide a course correction, manufacturers will face even more lawsuits seeking massive and unprincipled liability. Already, this misuse of tort law has inspired several other public nuisance cases, putting manufacturing jobs at risk in order to line the pockets of trial lawyers.

“The Court should hear the case and help shut the door on this baseless litigation.  These types of lawsuits undermine the fairness of our nation’s legal system, our manufacturing base and our economy.”

–MAP–

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) will set the record straight and highlight the coordinated campaign by trial lawyers and public officials who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. The MAP will hold key actors accountable in order to protect our members and American manufacturing workers. The MAP is a project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), which serves as the leading voice of manufacturers in the nation’s courts. Visit us at www.mfgaccountabilityproject.org.

Washington, D.C. – Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) Executive Director Lindsey de la Torre released the following statement on today’s announcement by Baltimore that the city is suing manufacturers over discredited climate change allegations:

“It’s time for politicians and trial lawyers to put an end to this frivolous litigation. Taxpayer resources should not be used for baseless lawsuits that are designed to enrich trial lawyers and grab headlines for politicians. This abuse of our legal system does nothing to advance meaningful solutions, which manufacturers are focused on every day.”

Lawsuits targeting manufacturers do nothing to address climate change, and as history has demonstrated, these lawsuits stand little chance in the courtroom. Baltimore’s announcement comes just one day after a related lawsuit filed by New York City was dismissed with prejudice by a federal judge. Moreover, U.S. District Judge William Alsup dismissed similar lawsuits filed by San Francisco and Oakland last month, writing, “No plaintiff has ever succeeded in bringing a nuisance claim based on global warming.”

Baltimore argues that their lawsuit is different because it is filed in state court, but it will likely be removed to federal court and dismissed, just like those that came before it.

–MAP–

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) will set the record straight and highlight the concerted, coordinated campaign being waged by plaintiffs’ lawyers, public officials, deep-pocketed foundations and other activists who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. This campaign will pull back the curtain to expose these efforts and to hold key actors accountable in order to protect our members and American manufacturing workers. The MAP is a project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), which serves as the leading voice of manufacturers in the nation’s courts. Visit us at www.mfgaccountabilityproject.org.

Timmons Praises Dismissal of Third Climate Lawsuit in the Past Month

Washington, D.C. – National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President and CEO Jay Timmons issued the following statement responding to U.S. District Judge John Keenan’s dismissal of the climate lawsuit filed by New York targeting manufacturers:

“From the moment this baseless lawsuit was filed, manufacturers have argued that the courtroom was not the proper venue to address this global challenge,” said Timmons. “Judge Keenan made that clear in his decision today. Now that San Francisco, Oakland and New York City have had their cases dismissed, the other municipalities should withdraw their complaints to save taxpayer resources and focus on meaningful solutions.”

The NAM has led the business community’s response to the wave frivolous public nuisance lawsuits targeting manufacturers by forming the Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP), headed by Executive Director Lindsey de la Torre. A project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), MAP has fought to set the record straight and highlight the concerted, coordinated campaign being waged by plaintiffs’ lawyers, public officials, deep-pocketed foundations and other activists who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. More information can be found at mfgaccountabilityproject.org.

-NAM-

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) Releases Reform Principles to End Baseless Litigation Against Manufacturers
Reform Principles Include Transparency, Pre-emptive Legislation, Withdrawal of Lawsuits

 Washington, D.C. –  On the one-year anniversary of the first climate lawsuit filed against manufacturers in California and as part of the ongoing effort to combat baseless litigation against manufacturers, the National Association of Manufacturers’ (NAM) Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) released principles for reform that would protect the strength of the manufacturing industry and the integrity of the nation’s legal system against the growing trend of public nuisance lawsuits against manufacturers. Such lawsuits have been filed in California, New York, Colorado, Washington state and Rhode Island.

“Manufacturing workers, taxpayers and our legal system are all harmed by the ongoing baseless litigation against manufacturers,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “Manufacturers want to be part of the solution in ending these frivolous lawsuits and political stunts. These common-sense reform principles—transparency in contingency-fee agreements, pre-emptive legislation and immediate withdrawal of the lawsuits offer a path forward.  We cannot continue to allow trial attorneys and headline-seeking politicians to abuse the nation’s legal system for their own personal gain.

“The courts have already ruled against this strain of frivolous litigation, most recently when a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit brought by San Francisco and Oakland. Judge William Alsup’s decision in that case should be required reading for other jurisdictions contemplating similar lawsuits. This form of jackpot justice isn’t the answer, and it diverts time and resources that could be better spent working towards real solutions, as manufacturers do every day.”

The MAP’s reform principles call for:

• Public officials to be fully transparent regarding the terms of their arrangements with contingency-fee plaintiffs’ lawyers to whom they have outsourced government legal authority and police power;
• Pre-emption legislation that would protect manufacturers and consumers from frivolous lawsuits, which unfairly seek to charge them with liability for global climate change;
• An immediate withdrawal of all climate change-related lawsuits against manufacturers in America.

 

-MAP-

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) will set the record straight and highlight the concerted, coordinated campaign being waged by plaintiffs’ lawyers, public officials, deep-pocketed foundations and other activists who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. This campaign will pull back the curtain to expose these efforts and to hold key actors accountable in order to protect our members and American manufacturing workers. The MAP is a project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), which serves as the leading voice of manufacturers in the nation’s courts. Visit us at mfgaccountabilityproject.org.

 

Washington, D.C. – Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) Executive Director Lindsey de la Torre released the following statement on today’s announcement by the Rhode Island Attorney General that the state is suing manufacturers over discredited climate change allegations:

“Lawsuits targeting manufacturers do nothing to address climate change, and as history has demonstrated, these lawsuits stand little chance in the courtroom. Just last week, U.S. District Judge William Alsup dismissed similar lawsuits filed by San Francisco and Oakland, writing, “No plaintiff has ever succeeded in bringing a nuisance claim based on global warming.”

“It’s time for politicians and trial lawyers to put an end to this frivolous litigation. Taxpayer resources should not be used for baseless lawsuits that are designed to enrich trial lawyers and grab headlines for politicians. This abuse of our legal system does nothing to advance meaningful solutions, which manufacturers are focused on every day.”

-MAP-

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) will set the record straight and highlight the concerted, coordinated campaign being waged by plaintiffs’ lawyers, public officials, deep-pocketed foundations and other activists who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. This campaign will pull back the curtain to expose these efforts and to hold key actors accountable in order to protect our members and American manufacturing workers. The MAP is a project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), which serves as the leading voice of manufacturers in the nation’s courts. Visit us at mfgaccountabilityproject.org.

Timmons Praises Calif. Judge’s Dismissal of Baseless Climate Lawsuit

Washington, D.C. – National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement responding to U.S. District Judge William Alsup’s dismissal of the climate lawsuits filed by San Francisco and Oakland targeting manufacturers:

“From the moment these baseless lawsuits were filed, we have argued that the courtroom was not the proper venue to address this global challenge,” said Timmons. “Judge Alsup agreed. Other municipalities around the country who have filed similar lawsuits should take note as those complaints are likely to end the same way.  New York City, Boulder, and the other California municipalities should withdraw their complaints and follow the lead of others that are focused on meaningful solutions.”

The NAM has led the business community’s response to the wave frivolous public nuisance lawsuits targeting manufacturers by forming the Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP), headed by Executive Director Lindsey de la Torre. A project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), MAP has fought to set the record straight and highlight the concerted, coordinated campaign being waged by plaintiffs’ lawyers, public officials, deep-pocketed foundations and other activists who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. More information can be found at mfgaccountabilityproject.org.

 

-NAM-

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

 

733 10th St. NW, Suite 700 • Washington, DC 20001 • (202) 637-3000

Washington, D.C. – The following statement was released by Lindsey de la Torre, executive director of the National Association of Manufacturers’ (NAM) Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) ahead of tomorrow’s hearing in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on the defendants’ motion to dismiss the climate lawsuit filed by New York City against manufacturers:

“Similar litigation has been tried in the past and rejected by the courts yet trial attorneys, who stand to gain large contingency fees, persist in filing baseless litigation that undermines the continued success of one our nation’s most vibrant sectors. The Wall Street Journal editorial board termed this litigation ‘The Climate Change Tort Racket.’

By providing products that all Americans depend upon every day, while at the same time actively reducing their environmental footprint, manufacturers continue to demonstrate it is possible to square economic needs with environmental stewardship. Multiple judicial rulings from multiple courts is an untenable solution.  We concur with the 15 state attorneys general who filed an amicus brief that the motion to dismiss should be granted in the New York City lawsuit.”

-MAP-

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) will set the record straight and highlight the concerted, coordinated campaign being waged by plaintiffs’ lawyers, public officials, deep-pocketed foundations and other activists who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. This campaign will pull back the curtain to expose these efforts and to hold key actors accountable in order to protect our members and American manufacturing workers. The MAP is a project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), which serves as the leading voice of manufacturers in the nation’s courts. Visit us at mfgaccountabilityproject.org.

Washington, DC—Today, the Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP), an arm of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), joined 26 state manufacturing groups in delivering a strong message to the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) encouraging mayors across the country to stand up against trial attorneys and politicians who seek to punish the job creators and energy providers that their citizens rely on through involvement in baseless public nuisance lawsuits targeting manufacturers. The groups delivered a joint letter raising the issue ahead of the 86th Annual Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Boston, Massachusetts, in response to this growing trend.

The organizations asked the USCM “to consider how these cases have affected your courtrooms and constituents, and whether steps can be taken to establish guidelines for how mayors should engage on such matters.” Over the past year, thirteen cities and counties across the country have engaged in this misguided litigation against manufacturers, most recently in Washington state.

“Mayors are signing their names to lawsuits that will do more to undermine the resurgence of the manufacturing sector than to address the issues they intend to solve through the courts. Manufacturers are standing up today to highlight this concerning trend of litigation from Imperial Beach, California, to New York City,” said Lindsey de la Torre, Executive Director of the Manufacturers’ Accountability Project.

Read the full letter sent to the USCM here.

-MAP- 

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) will set the record straight and highlight the concerted, coordinated campaign being waged by plaintiffs’ lawyers, public officials, deep-pocketed foundations and other activists who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. This campaign will pull back the curtain to expose these efforts and to hold key actors accountable in order to protect our members and American manufacturing workers. The MAP is a project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), which serves as the leading voice of manufacturers in the nation’s courts. Visit us at mfgaccountabilityproject.org.

Washington, D.C. — In response to fifteen state attorneys general filing an amicus brief in support of manufacturers before Judge John Keenan in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Lindsey de la Torre, Executive Director of the Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP), released the following statement:

“Once again, 15 state attorneys general have joined together in defense of manufacturers across the nation as trial lawyers continue to file misguided lawsuits. With continued support from the attorneys general, manufacturers can focus their efforts on solutions rather than fighting litigation that legal precedent has demonstrated will ultimately fail.”

In their brief, the attorneys general note that the courts are not the proper forum to address this global issue:

“But the questions of global climate change and its effects—and the proper balance of regulatory and commercial activity—are political questions not suited for resolution by any court. Indeed, such judicial resolution would trample Congress’s carefully-calibrated process of cooperative federalism where States work in tandem with EPA to administer the federal Clean Air Act.”

The amicus brief was signed by attorneys general from Indiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

-MAP- 

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) will set the record straight and highlight the concerted, coordinated campaign being waged by plaintiffs’ lawyers, public officials, deep-pocketed foundations and other activists who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. This campaign will pull back the curtain to expose these efforts and to hold key actors accountable in order to protect our members and American manufacturing workers. The MAP is a project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), which serves as the leading voice of manufacturers in the nation’s courts. Visit us at mfgaccountabilityproject.org.