OVERVIEW

Tim’s practice focuses on affirmative complex environmental litigation on behalf of public entities (including state governments, cities, and the largest groundwater-only water supplier in the United States). His current cases include actions against Big Oil companies for their deceptive marketing related to their products’ contributions to the climate crisis, and actions against chemical companies for selling products with carcinogens that have contaminated the public drinking water and other natural resources. He also works on environmental justice and social justice impact litigation, such as by representing public entities in politically important cases to eliminate public nuisances that are harmful to society, ranging from ghost guns to toxic chemicals.

Tim also specializes in affirmative antitrust litigation in Big Tech and other industries. For example, he currently represents a class of iPhone purchasers in multidistrict litigation (in which Hausfeld serves as co-lead) against Apple for the company’s alleged monopolization of the markets for smartphones and for performance smartphones. Additionally, Tim has experience in data privacy and consumer protection litigation.

Before joining Hausfeld, Tim clerked for Justice Solomon of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, and practiced labor and employment law at a global law firm where he had the opportunity to represent a class of blind pedestrians in a successful action under the Americans with Disabilities Act against one of the largest cities in the United States for the city’s failure to ensure the accessibility of pedestrian signals.

Tim also has experience in human rights, such as when he represented a Tajik anti-corruption activist who was being detained and tortured by local authorities as a political prisoner for criticizing the government on social media platforms. Tim successfully petitioned the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to recognize the illegality of the detention and to put pressure on Tajikistan for his release.

Working towards a diverse, equitable, and inclusive world is paramount to Tim who is an active member of our Racial Justice working group.

Clients

Tim has represented states, cities, public utilities, universities, news media companies, financial institutions, and many sports and entertainment industry clients of all sorts. He has also represented individuals in class and individual actions.

EDUCATION

Temple University, Beasley School of Law, JD, 2019

The New School for Social Research, M.A., Philosophy, 2016

Skidmore College, B.A., Philosophy, 2014

BAR ADMISSIONS

New Jersey

New York

Pennsylvania

United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

United States District Court - Eastern District of New York

United States District Court – District of New Jersey

United States District Court - Northern District of Illinois (pro hac vice)

AFFILIATIONS

Adirondack Mountain Club, Northville-Placid Trail Chapter, Board, Treasurer (2020 to present)

American Bar Association - Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER), Member (2022), and SEER Leadership Development Program (2023)

American Bar Association - Antitrust Section, Member (2022)

WHAT OTHERS SAY

Super Lawyers

Pennsylvania Rising Star, Environmental Litigation, 2024

The Legal Intelligencer

"Lawyer on the Fast Track" Award Winner, 2024

Disclaimer: The Legal Intelligencer Lawyers on the Fast Track list is issued by American Lawyer Media (ALM); a description of the selection methodology can be found here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

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.
SCWA v. Dow, et al. – Environmental case on behalf of the largest groundwater-only 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.

Antitrust/Competition

In re Apple Inc., Smartphone Antitrust Litigation – Hausfeld represents a class of direct purchasers seeking recovery for alleged monopolization of smart phones.

Tim Kelly