Thomas Sims

Thomas has spent the last 25 years representing plaintiffs in complex environmental cases. Thomas began his career working on behalf of individuals and communities harmed by environmental pollution, but over the last decade he spent most of his time helping public entities hold corporations accountable for environmental harm and unsafe prescription drugs.

Along with Matt Edling, Thomas was lead trial counsel for DTSC in litigation arising under CERCLA regarding contamination from a secondary lead smelter near downtown Los Angeles: California Department of Toxic Substances Control v. NL Industries, Inc., No. 2:20-cv-11293 (C.D. Cal.). Thomas represented the Office of the Governor of Louisiana in its efforts to recover natural resource damages following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He was lead counsel in one of the largest Proposition 65 settlements in history, in which three environmental groups compelled the nation’s largest private school bus operator to reduce diesel exhaust emissions from its school buses. He was awarded Trial Lawyer of the Year from the non-profit Public Justice for his work on a long-running groundwater contamination dispute in Tucson, Arizona. Thomas has represented numerous states in their efforts to protect their citizens from the dangers of prescription drugs, including opioids.