William F. Hughes is a litigator specializing in environmental, toxic tort, product liability and other complex civil litigation matters. Mr. Hughes has represented clients in numerous environmental citizen suits, class actions, multi-district litigations and government enforcement actions across the country. These matters have focused primarily on property damage and pollution allegedly caused by the handling and disposal of hazardous materials. Additionally, Mr. Hughes has spent significant time prosecuting and defending CERCLA and common law claims seeking contribution for environmental remediation costs.
William F. Hughes is a litigator specializing in environmental, toxic tort, product liability and other complex civil litigation matters. Mr. Hughes has represented clients in numerous environmental citizen suits, class actions, multi-district litigations and government enforcement actions across the country. These matters have focused primarily on property damage and pollution allegedly caused by the handling and disposal of hazardous materials. Additionally, Mr. Hughes has spent significant time prosecuting and defending CERCLA and common law claims seeking contribution for environmental remediation costs.
Mr. Hughes currently serves as national coordinating counsel for several major oil companies in a product liability MDL involving alleged groundwater pollution caused by the gasoline additive methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE).
He has also represented oil companies in connection with a putative nationwide class action relating to petroleum underground storage tanks.
Mr. Hughes’ litigation successes include a highly publicized victory in Interfaith Community Organization v. Honeywell International (D.N.J.), in which he obtained a multimillion-dollar judgment for his clients under Superfund, the New Jersey Spill Act and common law for property damage caused by chromium contamination. Mr. Hughes also has successfully defended clients in a number of high-profile environmental enforcement actions brought by the federal government under the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
Affiliations, Activities and Accomplishments
Mr. Hughes is admitted before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit.
He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania, and is a member of the American Bar Association.