OVERVIEW
James Gotz is the chair of Hausfeld’s US-based Environmental & Product Liability Practice Group. For the past thirty years, from his office in Boston, he has represented claimants across Massachusetts and nationally in complex tort litigation, ranging from environmental tort cases on behalf of state governmental agencies and water authorities, to catastrophic injury pharmaceutical product liability and toxic tort actions.
James leads the firm’s deep-bench US environmental team in representing public entities against chemical companies responsible for contaminating drinking water supplies and other natural resources. That includes the first-in-the-nation case seeking to hold chemical manufacturers responsible for contamination from decades-long release of 1,4-dioxane into groundwater, as well as the first state-wide dioxane case against those same companies.
James also brings his complex litigation experience and best practices to several of the firm’s current human rights and social justice cases, including the firm’s efforts to hold the Government of South Sudan accountable for atrocities suffered by NGO workers at the Terrain Hotel in 2016.
Additionally, James is a leader in the prosecution of pharmaceutical and medical device mass torts, starting with the Fen-Phen Diet Drug MDL in Philadelphia in the late 1990s and, more recently, his successful resolution of the GranuFlo MDL litigation in Boston. James has been judicially appointed or invited to leadership roles in multiple drug and device MDLs, contributing his experience and skills to matters such as legal challenges to the admissibility of expert opinions (so-called Daubert challenges), litigation strategy, litigation management, and global resolution. In addition, he has contributed to thought leadership on MDL-related issues through Emory Law School’s Institute for Complex Litigation and Mass Claims and advocated at hearings before the federal Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules concerning proposed changes to Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence, “Testimony by Expert Witness.”
No matter how challenging or adversarial the situation, James remains thoughtful, calm, and considerate while still securing the greatest possible success for his clients. His consistent winning results prove the value of his uniquely attentive approach and demonstrate the knowledge and wisdom that comes from his wide range of complex civil litigation experiences.
Clients
James represents individuals and governmental entities who have suffered catastrophic damages caused by the negligence or misconduct of corporations threatening the public health of communities across the US. James’ current clients and matters include representing one of the largest water authorities in the country seeking billions of dollars in just compensation against manufacturers of 1,4-dioxane, leading state-wide prosecutions seeking significant compensation against chemical manufacturers for extensive damage to natural resources, and counseling states and cities to address their gun violence crises. James also represents individuals seeking redress and compensation for human rights and social justice violations.
EDUCATION
Suffolk University Law School, J.D., with honors, 1994
University of Michigan, B.A., 1991
BAR ADMISSIONS
Massachusetts
United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
AFFILIATIONS
American Association for Justice - Section on Toxic, Environment and Pharmaceutical Torts, Past Chair
Boston Bar Association - Tort Committee, Former Co-Chair
Harvard Law School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop, Faculty Member (2009-2011, 2014-2015)
Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys - Board of Governors, Former Member
Massachusetts Bar Association - Civil Litigation Section Council, Former Member
WHAT OTHERS SAY
Lawdragon
- The Green 500: Leaders in Environmental Law in 2024
- 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers since 2019
- 500 Leading Litigators in America in 2022
Other
- Invited to participate as a faculty member for Harvard Law School’s Annual Trial Advocacy Workshop from 2009-2011 and 2014-2015, in recognition of his skills as a trial lawyer.
- Frequently invited as a thought leader to speak about current issues in mass torts and drug/device MDLs at academic forums including the Duke Law School’s Bolch Judicial Institute and Emory Law School’s Institute for Complex Litigation and Mass Claims.
Experience
Environmental & Product Liability
- State of Maine v. BP P.L.C., et al – Hausfeld represents the State of Maine in climate deception litigation alleging that the defendant fossil fuel companies misled the public about the dangers of climate change, resulting in severe environmental and public health impacts across the state.
- Dodge v. Tezel – James has tried to verdict, as first chair, over a dozen jury cases in Massachusetts state and federal courts, including Dodge v. Tezel (Suffolk Superior Court), which remains the largest state verdict in a pedestrian versus vehicle negligence case, in excess of sixteen million dollars.
- In re Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) Product Liability Litigation – James managed, oversaw the strategy and actively participated in the scientific evidentiary hearing for In re Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) Product Liability Litigation, which resulted in one of the most oft-cited Daubert decisions in pharmaceutical MDL litigation.
- SCWA v. Dow, et al. and SCWA v. 3M Company, et al. – Two environmental cases on behalf of the largest public water supplier in the country against the manufacturers and distributors of products containing toxic chemicals for contamination of the local public drinking water.
- Attorney General of the State of New Jersey, et al. v. Dow Chemical Co., et al. – Environmental litigation on behalf of the State of New Jersey against the manufacturers of the toxic chemical 1,4-dioxane for contamination of the State’s natural resources and drinking water supply, as well as deceptive and fraudulent business practices regarding the sale of 1,4-dioxane products to industrial facilities and New Jersey consumers.
- City of Philadelphia v. Polymer80, Inc. and JSD Supply, Inc. - Representing the City of Philadelphia, in partnership with the Giffords Law Center, in a lawsuit against defendants Polymer80, Inc. and JSD Supply, which are among the largest suppliers of ghost guns confiscated in Philadelphia, alleging that the named distributors have contributed to the gun violence crisis and threatened the public’s right to health and safety by marketing, selling, and dispersing unserialized ghost guns into Philadelphia.
- Bell v. Al-Khatib - In an important environmental justice case, Hausfeld, along with the Public Interest Law Center, filed a complaint on behalf of a group of Philadelphia residents against an auto body shop for its unlawful operations resulting in nuisance and trespass in their neighborhood, which has been designated by the EPA as an “environmental justice community.” This litigation—focused on just one of scores of auto-related businesses operating improperly in low income communities of color in Southwest Philadelphia—concluded in a swift and favorable settlement including the elimination of the nuisance and the removal of the unlawfully operating business from the property.
Human Rights
- Padre et al. v. MVM - Hausfeld represents families that were unlawfully separated pursuant to the unconstitutional family separation policy implemented during the first Trump administration. The defendant in this class action lawsuit is MVM, Inc., the private security contractor that transported thousands of migrant children away from their parents. The plaintiffs bring human rights claims for enforced disappearance, torture, and cruel and inhumane treatment under the Alien Tort Statute, among other claims.
Public Entity
We have extensive experience representing public and governmental entities, including state Attorneys General Offices, municipal utility boards, and counties in high-stakes investigations and litigation involving a variety of legal practice areas, including antitrust, consumer protection, financial services, and environmental law. The firm’s public entity portfolio includes:
- Retention by state Attorneys General Offices for antitrust litigation against Big Tech platforms;
- Retention by the largest public water supplier in the country relating to environmental contamination;
- Retention by public entities to pursue antitrust claims relating to fraud in financial markets; and
- Retention by the state of West Virginia in one of the earliest cases against the pharmaceutical industry relating to the opioid crisis, filed decades before the current wave of opioid litigation.
