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‘Dark Waters’ inspiration to speak at NSW Law Society conference
American “forever chemicals” lawyer Robert Bilott, who was portrayed by actor Mark Ruffalo in the hit 2019 movie Dark Waters, is headlining the 2024 annual conference for the Law Society of NSW.
Jerome Doraisamy
Prominent US-based lawyer Robert Bilott (pictured), whose work revealed massive chemical contamination of unprecedented scale and scope, will headline the annual conference for the NSW Law Society, being held next month.
As has been widely reported over the years, Bilott spent over two decades litigating hazardous dumping of “forever chemicals”, namely perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
PFAS compounds have been used in a wide variety of consumer products, such as Teflon, Scotchgard and in certain types of firefighting foam, and are described as “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in nature.
They have been detected across the whole planet and found in the blood of 97 per cent of the United States population. PFAS’ adverse effects have been shown to include deadly rare cancers and immune system impacts.
Bilott’s book, Exposure, ultimately became the basis for the 2019 movie Dark Waters, which starred Mark Ruffalo and Anne Hathaway.
Law Society of NSW president Brett McGrath proclaimed that Bilott’s fight for communities affected by the PFAS family of chemicals illustrates the important role lawyers play in bringing just outcomes for clients.
Australia-based class actions pertaining to PFAS have seen numerous settlements in recent years.
In May of last year, the federal government offered $22 million to settle a class action for the PFAS contamination of the Wreck Bay Aboriginal community. In the same month, an agreement was reached to settle a multi-site class action for $132.7 million against the Department of Defence after toxic PFAS chemicals negatively impacted around 30,000 residents spanning seven communities.
Speaking ahead of his appearance at the conference, Bilott said that the PFAS “forever chemicals” story is a great example of how lawyers and the litigation process can help spur momentous change in not only our legal systems, but in the scientific community, regulatory and legislative fronts, and within the broader public.
“I am honoured to participate in this important conference where we can explore how we used the legal system in the United States as a catalyst for raising awareness and understanding of how these man-made toxins threaten human health and the environment,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to discussing how this experience can best be used to help the victims of this unprecedented environmental and human health disaster in Australia and worldwide.”
McGrath said: “The Law Society is fortunate to be hosting Mr Bilott for our annual conference.
“Along with hearing his story firsthand, Mr Bilott will discuss PFAS-related issues confronting Australia and the role lawyers here can and do play [in] seeking justice for those affected and by advocating for better regulation of these substances.”
“The majority of people who choose law as a career do so with a motivation to make a difference and help effect lasting positive change in their communities,” McGrath added.
“Rob Bilott has lived those values through his decades-long legal battle on behalf of tens of thousands of people who have been adversely affected by exposure to PFAS (Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances). He helped secure multiple billions of dollars of benefits for those damaged by PFAS-contaminated drinking water.”
Earlier this year, Bilott appeared in the Stan documentary, Revealed: How to poison a planet, which examines the worldwide impact of PFAS chemicals and details the effects on the “once pristine” community of Wreck Bay of firefighting foam runoff from the nearby Jervis Bay naval airstrip.
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.
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