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Eric GrantSenior Counsel, Hicks Thomas LLP |
Education
University of California, Berkeley (A.B., 1986; J.D., 1990); Judicial Clerkships, Hon. Edith H. Jones, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and Hon. Warren E. Burger (ret.) and Hon. Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court of the United States.Practice Emphasis
Appellate Law; Environmental Law & Land Use; Civil Rights; Campaigns and Elections; Religious Liberties.Representative Cases/Clients
Environmental Litigation (2006-present): Have principal responsibility for drafting motions and briefs in successfully defending against numerous CERCLA, RCRA, products liability, and other contamination-related claims in federal and California courts at both trial and appellate levels.Team Enterprises, LLC v. Western Investment Real Estate Trust, 647 F.3d 901 (9th Cir. 2011), and Hinds Investments, L.P. v. Angioli, 654 F.3d 846 (9th Cir. 2011): Won two related decisions in the Ninth Circuit establishing that equipment manufacturers are generally not liable under CERCLA or RCRA or for nuisance or trespass for environmental contamination resulting from equipment purchasers’ disposal of hazardous waste.
Osborn v. Haley, 549 U.S. 225 (2007): Drafted the successful petition for certiorari and argued for the petitioner in this dispute involving the Westfall Act, a procedural component of the Federal Tort Claims Act.
John Doe v. Kamehameha Schools, 470 F.3d 827 (9th Cir. 2006) (en banc), cert. dismissed, 550 U.S. 931 (2007): Argued before 15 judges of the Ninth Circuit and filed a petition for certiorari that induced a favorable settlement for the client, a student challenging a "Native Hawaiians-only" school admissions policy.
Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency v. Verjil, 39 Cal. 4th 205, 138 P.3d 220 (2006): Won a unanimous decision in the California Supreme Court establishing the right of ratepayers to lower (by means of voter initiative) the utility rates charged by public agencies.