SKIP TO CONTENT
With the Supreme Court’s 2005 decision in Bates v. DowAgroScience LLC, the possibility of multi-million dollar damage claims against pesticide users and manufacturers has increased. Unfortunately, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) reaction to industry developments and public concerns can itself be misunderstood or muddled. Companies who find themselves embroiled in legal turmoil will benefit immeasurably from The Acta Group’s (Acta®) skilled team of experts who have worked in specific product areas in government and industry. Along with legal professionals from Acta’s affiliate, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), they have the experience and know-how to represent effectively clients’ positions and to demystify legal conundrums their matters may present.
What We Do
Acta professionals offer a full range of expert witness services and, through our extensive network of qualified professionals around the globe, we can meet our clients’ varying needs. These could include, for example, explaining the process and meaning of EPA review procedures, the historical implementation of various EPA guidance policies, and the development of program elements over time placed in their appropriate context. Clients have found this expertise helpful in formulating a response to certain litigation issues, either directly as a witness or more generally to provide the perspective of a former “insider” who can place events and policies in a broader context.
- Testimony –
- Serve as expert witnesses in judicial and administrative proceedings such as:
- Federal and state judicial proceedings
- FIFRA data compensation arbitrations and other administrative proceedings under FIFRA, TSCA, and related federal and state laws
- Serve as expert witnesses in judicial and administrative proceedings such as:
- Opinions –
- Provide expert opinions for judicial and administrative proceedings
- Trial Preparation –
- Assist legal counsel in reviewing matters in dispute
- Prepare counsel for cross examination of witnesses adverse to their client’s interests
Our Experience
Acta’s experienced staff has extraordinary skills as expert witnesses in support of various judicial and administrative proceedings. Our qualifications are extensive and span across a range of issues that affect clients in both the pesticide and industrial chemical markets.
Our professionals offer this specialized expertise in relatively straightforward data compensation arbitration hearings under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to more complex, multi-million dollar tort claim proceedings that evolve over a number of years. Especially valued has been the experience of Acta staff with previous work experience at federal regulatory agencies, such as EPA. This government experience allows each professional to speak authoritatively on a number of issues that may be relevant to a specific case.
James Aidala has over 30 years of experience in the field of pesticide legislation, policy, and implementation. His work experience has included senior positions on Capitol Hill and at EPA where he has been responsible for both implementing and legislating our nation’s pesticide and toxic chemical laws. He is a former Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) (now the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP)), and held other senior political positions at EPA during the Clinton Administration. Among other responsibilities at EPA, Mr. Aidala was responsible for leading the EPA team that drafted the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA). Since 2001, Mr. Aidala has worked in a variety of private consulting firms and has been an expert witness in both toxic tort and international trade arbitration proceedings.
We believe that the combination of skills and expertise that the Acta team brings to clients who have a need for expert witness services compares favorably to any other consulting firm, and that translates to value for our clients. With a wealth of legal resources from our legal affiliate B&C, Acta offers value in a quantitative form — as a small and highly specialized firm, we are able to offer our professionals’ legal skills, business judgment, and years of experience at rates below those of our competitors.
Representative Engagements
- Our professionals have served as expert witnesses in countless federal, state, and FIFRA data compensation arbitrations.
- We are regularly retained to assess the feasibility of certain legal positions as a part of pre-litigation preparations.
- Our professionals have served as expert witnesses in a wide variety of lawsuits involving the application of agricultural chemicals, representing the interests of the agricultural chemical producers’ community.