Celeste Evangelisti has devoted almost two decades of her career to representing individuals, municipalities and public water suppliers who seek to recover costs to clean up contamination from the companies responsible those who put dangerous products into the stream of commerce without ensuring they will not cause extensive environmental contamination.
A shareholder with Baron & Budd’s Environmental Litigation Group, Celeste currently represents plaintiffs in several states across the country who face a variety of contamination issues.
Celeste is a well-known figure in national litigation arising from contamination caused by the gasoline additive Methyl tertiary-butyl ether, having been among the first lawyers to litigate cases against oil refiners who blended into gasoline.
Celeste started her career at a large defense firm, representing some of the biggest corporations in the world in product liability cases. In 1999, Celeste used the knowledge she gained representing defendants in those cases and began working with Scott Summy, who represented corporate victims of wrongdoing. Scott was then expanding his groundwater contamination practice to California and other states.
Mr. Summy brought his team to Baron & Budd in 2002, ultimately forming and expanding what is now the Environmental Litigation Group. Throughout the years, Celeste has assisted in the representation of over 150 water providers in MTBE cases.
Ms. Evangelisti has been a frequent speaker and presenter on legal topics concerning the prosecution of water contamination cases involving the gasoline additive MTBE and other contaminants of concern. “The lengths some polluters will go to increase their profits at the expense of the well-being of entire communities never ceases to amaze me,” she says. “It is ultimately very satisfying to bring these companies to justice and protect the environmental integrity of our water supplies.”
Education:
- Cornell University School of Law (J.D. 1995)
- State University of New York at Binghamton (B.A. Mathematics, 1992)
Bar & Court Admissions:
- Texas
- California
- New York
- United States District Courts for the Northern, Southern, and Eastern Districts of Texas
- United States District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Central Districts of California
- United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
Professional Associations:
- New York State Bar
- State Bar of California
- State Bar of Texas
- American Association for Justice – Environmental Law Section
- Public Justice
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Cost
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