Elizabeth M. Weaver
Partner
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
Related services and key industries
Biography
Elizabeth Weaver has practiced for more than 30 years in the field of environmental law and litigation, handling a wide range of matters, focusing on Superfund, RCRA, toxic torts and water. She has tried Superfund cases to judgment and has strong experience in all facets of CERCLA practice, including serving as common counsel at complex sites. She has handled and tried or resolved numerous private cost recovery actions. Elizabeth is currently serving as counsel to a major petroleum company in connection with a range of claims relating to the Portland Harbor Superfund Site.
In addition to her many years of CERCLA litigation experience, Elizabeth has a wide range of experience in RCRA permitting and compliance issues, groundwater contamination suits, citizen suits under the Clean Air Act, Proposition 65, and regulatory and compliance matters. She has served as a trusted advisor to companies in the sale or purchase of brownfield properties. Due to her depth of knowledge in the environmental field, she headed a team of attorneys at her prior firm that served as national environmental counsel to a major petroleum company in all of its environmental litigation matters nationwide, litigating and resolving cases across the country involving property damage, tort, nuisance, and trespass claims, as well as statutory claims. She has also handled several criminal environmental matters.
Professional experience
Collapse allJD, Duke University School of Law, 1980
BA, magna cum laude, Duke University, 1977
Elizabeth is admitted to practice law in federal and state courts in California and Florida.
- California State Bar
Hazardous waste and Superfund:
- Currently represents major oil company in claims for response costs and natural resource damages at Portland Harbor Superfund Site
- Currently represents party in claims alleging contamination of groundwater at North Hollywood Superfund Site
- Obtained dismissal of nuisance and other claims by local government seeking to impose local requirements on Superfund site cleanup in Illinois, upheld on appeal by 7th Circuit
- Obtained summary judgment in suit for contribution against waste haulers
- Litigated case against municipalities and public agencies for their role at a Superfund site in Los Angeles County, resulting in tens of million dollars in settlements
- After allocation trial, obtained judgment of 100% allocation of clean-up costs to United States government at Del Amo Superfund Site
Groundwater contamination, product liability and toxic tort:
- Defended manufacturer in "sick in building" tort case; settled favorably in late 2015
- Represented two major oil companies in multi-district litigation in New York for nationwide groundwater contamination relating to MTBE, a gasoline oxygenate
- Served as liaison counsel in California state-wide MTBE litigation against major petroleum retailers
- Defended Proposition 65 discharge cases at mining operation
Transactional and regulatory:
- Recently advised client in the sale of major brownfields property in Los Angeles
- Resolved RCRA enforcement issues at hazardous waste treatment facility
- RCRA permitting of treatment facility
- Mediated disputes among companies over cost-sharing in non-litigation context
- Legal 500, Recommended Lawyer, Environment: Litigation, The Legal 500, 2021, 2023
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Environmental & Energy Lawyers, Lawdragon, Inc., 2021
- Chambers USA, California: Environment, Chambers and Partners, 2008 – 2023
- Southern California Super Lawyer, Thomson Reuters, 2004 – 2019, 2021-2023
- Southern California's Top Rated Lawyers, LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell, 2012 – 2013
- Who's Who Legal, Environment, Law Business Research Ltd., 2018
- The Best Lawyers in America, Lawyer of the Year, Environmental Law, Best Lawyers, 2018, 2023
- The Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers, 2013 – 2021
- Best Lawyers - Environmental Law, Best Lawyers, 2022 - 2024
- Best Lawyers - Litigation – Environmental, Best Lawyers, 2022 - 2024
- "New Life for Brownfields: Contaminated Site Liabilities Can be Successfully Managed," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, April 1997
- "Environmental Emergencies and Enforcement Actions -- How to Respond to a Warrant, a Raid, or a Release," Annual Environmental Health and Safety Conference, Long Beach, California, February 15, 2012
- American Bar Association, Section of Environment, Energy and Resources
- State Bar of California, Environmental Law Section
- Los Angeles County Bar Association, Section of Environmental Law
- American Cancer Society - Los Angeles Chapter
- LACBA Domestic Violence Project