Cowboys, margaritas and toxic trash: Some sour on lawyers in lucrative L.A. landfill cases

The article “Cowboys, margaritas and toxic trash: Some sour on lawyers in lucrative L.A. landfill cases” details rising scrutiny of law firms involved in high-stakes environmental and injury litigation tied to Los Angeles-area landfills. In Val Verde, about 40 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, residents faced months of foul fumes from a fire at the Chiquita Canyon landfill, prompting a 2023 class-action filed by local lawyer Oshea Orchid. Orchid alleged the fumes caused symptoms such as headaches and heart palpitations, and said she was initially the only lawyer pursuing the matter. In February 2024, she reported seeing a man in a cowboy hat soliciting residents and later claimed the individual was hired through Downtown LA Law Group, including $5,000 for travel and instructions to pose as a local. California bars non-attorneys from directly soliciting or procuring clients in “capping.” DTLA disputed the characterization, saying the man sought permission for educational fliers and blamed Orchid for trying to remove competition. The lawsuit effort overlaps with a state bar probe and a criminal investigation after reporting last fall described clients allegedly paid to sue over a $4-billion sex abuse settlement.