Public Entity Litigation

Public Entity Litigation Division

Public entity litigation refers to legal cases involving government bodies or entities, such as:

• Cities
• Counties
• School districts
• State Attorneys General
• Other state or federal agencies
• Public universities
• Other governmental organizations

These cases often involve government-specific claims and defenses, along with government-specific considerations like open records laws, overarching policy objectives, injunctive terms, and unique forms of relief not often available to private litigants. Nachawati’s team of former public servants and experienced public litigators understands that when a government initiates an investigation or brings a case on behalf of its citizens, there’s much more at stake.

Notable Litigation

OPIOID LITIGATION

NLG represents or has represented the State of Utah as well as more than eighty cities and counties in Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas in their fight against the prescription opioid industry, securing tens of millions of dollars as part of national settlement efforts and successfully defeating removal of a number of state court cases.

SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM LITIGATION

NLG represents the States of Nevada and Mississippi, as well as the Commonwealth of Kentucky, in first-of-their-kind state court litigations against major social media platforms concerning alleged addictive product design and undisclosed harms to young users. These cases seek robust injunctive relief as well as monetary and other relief to remedy harms inflicted by problematic internet use and misrepresentations concerning known dangers to children using these platforms.

PFAS WATER CONTAMINATION LITIGATION

NLG partner Gale Pearson serves in MDL leadership in In Re: Aqueous Film-Forming Foams (AFFF) Products Liability Litig., 2:18-mn-2873 (D.S.C.), where NLG represents several cities in their litigation against 3M, DuPont, and other manufacturers of so-called “forever chemicals” PFAS, PFOA, and others. These cases seek to hold PFAS manufacturers responsible for cleanup and filtration costs and other harms related to widespread PFAS contamination in municipal and regional water systems across the country.

TEMU DATA PRIVACY/CONSUMER LITIGATION

NLG represents the State of Arkansas in consumer and data privacy litigation against Chinese e-retail giant Temu. This case alleges that the popular Temu shopping app aggressively collects deeply personal information from consumer devices without consent, fails to secure that information, and engages in numerous deceptive and misleading business practices. This case seeks robust injunctive relief as well as monetary and other relief to remedy harms inflicted on consumers.

KIA/HYUNDAI ANTITHEFT DEVICE LITIGATION

NLG represents several cities in In Re: Kia Hyundai Vehicle Theft Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litig, No. 8:22-ml-3052 (C.D. Cal.). This case alleges that by failing to install industry-standard antitheft devices, Kia and Hyundai have created widespread harm to municipal police and rescue departments which have been unable to stem the resulting epidemic of auto thefts and related crimes. These cases seek injunctive relief and abatement of the public nuisance resulting from this wave of auto thefts impacting municipal governments across the country.

SHALE OIL ANTITRUST LITIGATION

NLG represents the City of Baltimore in In Re: Shale Oil Antitrust Litig., 1:24-md-03119 (D.N.M.). These cases allege that due to a conspiracy among shale oil producers in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico, municipal customers have been forced to overpay for bulk fuel purchases to fuel city fleet vehicles. These cases seek to recover damages and other relief relating to overpayments made by governmental plaintiffs around the country.

Trusted Legal Partners for State and Local Governments in High-Stakes Litigation Nationwide.