Pensacola Beach, the famous white sand beach located on the barrier island of Santa Rosa, is back to some of its former glory, thanks to the assiduous efforts of locals to to recover their sands from the infamous explosion of a BP off-shore drilling rig that killed eleven men and temporarily destroyed the tourist economies of the Gulf Coast.

One year after America's worst offshore oil spill, in which BP spilled 172 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, “hotels and restaurants that sat largely abandoned at the height of the spill are reporting a 50 percent increase this spring compared to the same time last year before the disaster,” according to reporter Melissa Nelson in the Bloomberg Businessweek.

The beach is kept clean in part due to early morning beach walks by BP crews that scour the sand each day and remove tar balls that washed ashore.

Buck Lee, executive director of the Santa Rosa Island Authority, has overseen the beach's cleanup since the spill started. Mr. Lee said he wants to make sure BP cleaning crews stay on scene in case storms moving through the Gulf push undersea oil or tar mats onto the beach. Lee stated: “It's not over.”

Mr. Lee says that as of last June, the beach was covered in oil “50 feet up all along the shoreline. Then the oil was covered up by three high tides and buried before we could start cleaning it.” He pushed for heavy sand-cleaning machinery and for permission to dig 3 feet down to ensure all the buried oil was thoroughly removed before the 2011 tourism season.

As the tourism industry slowly recovers, the restaurant and seafood industries remain heavily affected, and oil cleanup crews face the worst risks of all. Weitz & Luxenberg supports all Gulf Coast residents in their fight for compensation, and we hope that as the economic and environmental recovery continues, we can aid in that recovery for all who need legal representation.

Erin Brockovich took down a multi-billion-dollar company whose pollution caused cancer.

She can help you fight for your rights.

Has someone polluted your neighborhood?
Were you harmed by a dangerous prescription drug?
Did working with asbestos cause lung cancer?

You may have a case for Erin.
An award-winning film chronicled Erin Brockovich's victorious crusade against a corporate polluter. She has dedicated her life to helping the public fight for the right to a safe environment. No wonder Weitz & Luxenberg, the largest plaintiffs’ firm in New York, has chosen to partner with consumer advocate Erin Brockovich to help victims of asbestos, toxic dumping, defective medicines and medical devices, and other acts of negligence the firm takes on in its extensive practice.

“The public shares a unique bond with Erin because they can relate to her real-life battle against a corporation that effectively poisoned a community’s groundwater,” said firm cofounder Arthur Luxenberg. “We knew there was no better partner who would add depth, value and passion to our work.”

The firm, the national leader in MTBE litigation and environmental litigation, recently secured a landmark settlement against some of the country's biggest oil companies, which have agreed to pay $423 million in a suit involving the contamination of 153 public water systems nationally.

Brockovich took note of such successes when she worked alongside the firm’s Environmental Toxic Torts unit several years ago. “After experiencing firsthand the way Weitz & Luxenberg operates—the tenacious way they take on defendants that have willingly placed people in harm’s way—I felt proud when they asked me to join forces to fight injustices such as medical malpractice, tainted pharmaceuticals and faulty medical devices.”

Brockovich has worked on major toxic tort cases, including those that involve hexavalent chromium, which has poisoned communities, causing cancer and other illnesses. Such efforts have made her a much sought-after lecturer across the country. “It is through awareness and information that we can protect ourselves, our families and our health,” says Brockovich, who believes the absence of knowing information makes the public vulnerable to negligent corporations and other entities.

"I have worked with them and I trust them."

You may have seen Weitz & Luxenberg’s television campaign featuring Brockovich. It highlights the firm’s asbestos litigation, reaching out to those who have received a diagnosis of asbestos-related lung cancer or mesothelioma. “I have worked with them and I trust them,” says Brockovich, staring intently into the eyes of TV viewers, explaining why she believes Weitz & Luxenberg can help people file an asbestos-related claim.

The firm, now 60 lawyers strong, has been practicing mass tort litigation longer than any other firm in New York State, getting at the forefront of asbestos litigation in the late 1980s. Weitz & Luxenberg recently achieved a $16.25 million verdict in an asbestos lawsuit. The case, which clears a new path to justice in asbestos litigation, is believed to be the first successful asbestos verdict against a dental supply company. The firm is known for spearheading such asbestos cases, among others, securing a $37 million asbestos verdict in 2007 in two lung cancer cases in a reverse bifurcated trial. The firm’s asbestos litigation unit has over 35,000 clients nationwide and has won some of the area’s most groundbreaking cases.

Brockovich sees shades of herself in the firm’s dedication to winning for its clients. “I haven’t backed down from the tough challenges in my life, and neither does Weitz & Luxenberg,” said Brockovich. “Seeing is believing.”

Contact Erin about your case

If you would like a free consultation or more information about your legal options, please complete the form on this page, and a representative will contact you as soon as possible.