Ron Hobbs prosecutes and defends hazardous-substance lawsuits that fall under the federal Superfund, also known as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). With a deep background in environmental insurance law, Ron has won three significant judgments against insurance companies for their failure to properly defend and indemnify their clients for claims of environmental contamination. He has focused his legal savvy, and a background in occupational safety and health, to these cases:

  • Secured favorable ruling from trial court and appellate court in pursuit of millions of dollars for a major oil company from an excess insurance carrier.
  • Secured millions of dollars in settlements for manufacturers in environmental remediation.
  • Won dismissal of civil penalties action for an asbestos abatement contractor.

Areas of Focus

Services

Experience

  • Represented major oil company in pursuit of excess insurance coverage for environmental, personal injury and property damage actions relating to underground petroleum pipelines in Illinois. Favorable rulings from trial court and appellate court ordered insurer to pay past legal fees and defense costs for all underlying matters and put the client in a position to recover millions of dollars, including those spent on remediation.
  • Won summary judgment and obtained substantial settlement on behalf of small town in southern Illinois from two insurance carriers in declaratory judgment action. A portion of funds paid for cleanup of properties contaminated by chemicals.
  • Obtained dismissal of civil penalties action - and the reinstatement of an administratively revoked license - for an asbestos abatement contractor that had been subject to repeated prosecutions by the Illinois Department of Public Health. The trial court held that actions by the department were unauthorized under principles of federal pre-emption and res judicata.
  • Won judgment at trial on behalf of a subcontractor against a general contractor that refused to pay for asbestos removal work on the grounds of alleged failure to perform in a workmanlike manner consistent with state regulations.
  • Prosecuted a number of Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) contribution actions resulting in millions of dollars in settlements used to fund environmental remediation.
  • Defended a variety of personal injury and property damage toxic tort claims, including two that were dismissed on summary judgment and one that won a defense verdict at trial.

Credentials

Education

  • Washington University School of Law (J.D., 1998)
  • University of Arizona (B.S., 1994)

Admissions

Bar Admissions

  • Illinois
  • Missouri

Recognitions

  • Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Missouri Litigation: General Commercial, 2021-2024

Professional Activities

  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • The Missouri Bar

Community Involvement

  • Clayton Diving Alliance, Board President