Environmental Litigation

environmental law

Environmental litigation is the process of holding corporations and other powerful entities accountable for harm to our natural surroundings—and, importantly, to people’s lives. An environmental litigation case can involve fighting for communities whose drinking water has been contaminated by industrial waste, or for families who can no longer enjoy their homes due to overwhelming pollution from nearby factory farms. At its heart, it is about using the law to protect a fundamental right: the right of every North Carolinian to live in a safe, healthy environment with clean air to breathe and fresh water to drink.

Wallace and Graham specializes in environmental litigation to ensure North Carolinians have continued access to fresh water to drink and air to breathe. Our firm is passionate about doing what we can to protect North Carolinians from environmental harms and disturbances, including corporate pollution, that affect their quality of life.

CAFO / Industrial Agriculture Impacts

Our firm is recognized nationwide for securing five consecutive jury verdicts against Smithfield Foods, a Chinese-owned corporation with extensive industrial hog operations in eastern North Carolina.

We represented families living near concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) who endured overwhelming odors from millions of gallons of untreated hog waste. These conditions interfered with their daily lives and their ability to use and enjoy their homes.

In each trial, the jury found that Smithfield’s operations unreasonably interfered with neighbors’ use and enjoyment of their private property. Our verdicts totaled more than $549 million.

These results demonstrate that corporations can be held accountable when their operations harm surrounding communities.

The litigation is powerfully captured in the nonfiction book Wastelands by Corban Addison, which tells the story of the affected communities, their fight for justice, and the attorneys who stood with them.

Camp Lejeune Water Contamination

As Court-appointed Co-Lead Counsel in the mass tort litigation involving more than 400,000 claimants, we represent thousands of veterans and civilians harmed by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

For decades, individuals were exposed—through drinking, inhalation, and skin contact—to dangerous chemicals in the base’s water supply, including TCE, PCE, benzene, and vinyl chloride.

Since the passage of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, we have worked tirelessly to pursue justice for those affected. Our team, including Attorneys Mona Lisa Wallace, Whitney Wallace, Mark Doby, and others, is deeply committed to holding the responsible parties accountable and securing meaningful recovery for our clients.

Toxic Exposure Cases (Asbestos, Chemicals, Industrial Pollution)

For decades, we have pursued claims involving environmental and occupational exposure to hazardous substances, including asbestos and industrial chemicals.

Our firm is frequently called upon for its experience in complex toxic tort litigation, particularly in cases involving serious and long-term health risks.

Coal Ash Contamination

We have represented communities harmed by coal ash pollution, including contamination of drinking water near Duke Energy facilities.

For decades, coal ash—the byproduct of burning coal—was stored in open, unlined ponds, creating the risk of groundwater contamination. Following the 2014 Dan River spill, the dangers of coal ash exposure became clear, and many families received “do not drink” notices due to unsafe water.

We played a key role in litigation brought on behalf of affected communities. Through this work, we successfully negotiated improved settlement terms that provided stronger protections for residents.

These outcomes included:

Improved and more equitable release provisions
Preservation of claims for children and certain workers
Greater protections for property owners, including accountability for damages related to municipal water connections

Our efforts helped ensure more meaningful and lasting protections for impacted families.