Profile: Douglas S Arnold

Environment

Biography: Environment

Doug Arnold is a partner at Alston & Bird, and focuses on environmental enforcement actions and toxic tort and environmental litigation.

Mr Arnold is the current chair of the environmental enforcement and crimes committee of the ABA's environment, energy and resources section. He also co-chairs the toxic tort subcommittee of the ABA's litigation section and is a past chair of the environmental law section for the Georgia State Bar. Mr Arnold has published articles in Legal Times, the BNA Toxics Law Reporter and Environment Reporter, the ABA's national journal and Mealey's Emerging Toxic Torts.

Representative engagements include serving on the trial team for a Fortune 50 manufacturer in lawsuits for injuries allegedly caused by isocyanate exposure. This litigation includes defence of a lawsuit involving more than 1,600 plaintiffs, and a putative class action with more than 30,000 plaintiffs. He also heads a defence team for a Fortune 500 company in a putative class action seeking damages for in excess of 13,000 claimants from alleged lead releases. Mr Arnold is defending a related CERCLA lawsuit for clean-up costs of US$100 million.

Previously, Mr Arnold defended a US appliance manufacturer in three lawsuits in San Francisco Superior Court for alleged perchloroethylene contamination. The plaintiffs sought US$150 million in damages and Mr Arnold resolved the claim in a pre-trial mediation for less than one percent of the damages sought.

Mr Arnold has represented clients in civil and criminal enforcement matters in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. He also conducts internal corporate investigations and helps clients develop environmental compliance plans.