DuPont Water Settlement Class Counsel Moves to Sanction Lawyers: 'False, Slanderous, Meritless and Vexatious Conduct'

A March 15 sanctions motion accused the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California's lawyers of a "bad-faith course of conduct" that includes libeling class counsel, disseminating the wrong information to class members and filing frivolous objections.

March 19, 2024 at 01:44 PM

6 minute read

Legal Ethics and Attorney Discipline

Amanda Bronstad
staff reporter

What You Need to Know

The motion seeks sanctions against Metropolitan Water District of Southern California General Counsel Marcia Scully and Deputy General Counsel Jill Teraoka, as well as outside counsel Jeff Kray, managing partner of Seattle's Marten Law.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has moved to intervene after opting out of the deal and filed a notice of appeal.
Metropolitan, in a statement, said the settlement precludes wholesalers that opted out of the deal from filing future claims against 3M and DuPont.

Lawyers in DuPont's water contamination settlement have moved for sanctions against a Southern California wholesaler's lawyers for their repeatedly "abusive, unreasonable and vexatious behavior," which is threatening to hold up the $1.19 billion agreement's distribution.