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HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | OCTOBER 30, 2023 13 stitutional and "prevent holding medical providers fully accountable when they make a careless or reckless decision." In order for medical malpractice cases to proceed in Connecticut, state law requires an independent medical doctor to review a claim to confirm that a careless mistake was made, or the doctor's conduct was outside the typical standard of care. "This protects medical providers from frivolous claims," Bowman said. Filling a need Connecticut has seen a wave of recent retirements of attorneys who handle healthcare and profes- sional liability defense cases, said Thompson, the Gfeller Laurie managing partner. Mayer and Noble bring decades of experience to the firm. They joined Gfeller Laurie as partners this summer, after working together for 18 years at DanaherLagnese, a civil litigator with offices in West Hartford and Westport. They've also hired an associate, Gabriella L. Izzo, to round out Gfeller Laurie's healthcare team. She focuses on complex medical issues with high-damage exposure. Gfeller Laurie is focused on hiring new talent and training Gfeller Laurie's healthcare practice group: associate Gabriella L. Izzo and co-chairs Edward W. Mayer Jr. and M. Karen Noble. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER Class-action lawsuits against Aquarion, CT Water say utilities sold contaminated water By Andrew Larson alarson@hartfordbusiness.com S tamford law firm Silver Golub & Teitell has filed class-action suits against public water supply companies Aquarion and Connecticut Water Co., alleging the companies knowingly sold unsafe drinking water containing PFAS to customers. PFAS, or perfluorinated alkylated substances, also known as "forever chemicals," are used in the manufac- turing of many consumer products and are resistant to biodegradation. The lawsuits each name three plaintiffs: Connecticut residents who were customers of the utilities during times at which elevated PFAS levels were detected. "Instead of removing these harmful chemicals, Connecticut Water and Aquarion have chosen to pass on PFAS-contaminated water to their customers, putting the health of hundreds of thousands of people at risk and contaminating their bodies and their property," said Ian Sloss, a partner at Silver Golub & Teitell, who is representing the plaintiffs. According to the lawsuits, peer-re- viewed studies show that any amount of exposure to PFAS in drinking water is hazardous to human health. "In fact, negative health effects may occur because of expo- sure … at levels near zero, and below most laboratories' ability to detect at this time," the lawsuits state. Adverse health effects from expo- sure include reproductive harm, developmental delays in children, increased risk of cancer, reduced immune system function, interference with natural hormones, changes in liver enzymes, high cholesterol and obesity. Emerging federal standards The companies supplied drinking water in several towns that contained PFAS levels higher than 10 parts per trillion, according to laboratory test results cited in the complaints. In March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed maximum contaminant levels of 4 parts per trillion. Those limits aren't expected to be finalized until late this year, or in early 2024. Water systems will have three years to comply with the new standards, according to Aquarion. Currently, there are no enforce- able federal or state PFAS stan- dards, Aquarion said in response to a request for comment about the lawsuit. Aquarion and Connecticut Water both began testing for PFAS in 2019, the companies said. "Aquarion Water Co. takes the quality of its water very seriously to ensure that it meets or exceeds all state and federal water quality standards," the company said in a statement. In an emailed statement, Connecticut Water said the water it provides customers is in compliance with all current state and federal regulations for drinking water, including PFAS. The company said it has notified customers in locations where PFAS chemicals were detected. Test results are also included in its annual water-quality reports. "Connecticut Water is closely following the U.S. EPA's proposed standard for PFAS in drinking and will treat the water to the standard set by EPA to remain in compliance with drinking water standards," the company said. While treatment methods to eliminate PFAS exist, Aquarion only implemented an effective solution in one town, Woodbury, according to the suit. Also, the suit against Connecticut Water says the company demon- strated that it knew about the pres- ence of PFAS because, in 2021, it filed a lawsuit against the manu- facturers of several PFAS, seeking compensation for damages and remediation costs. However, it continued to sell and market its water to customers, the complaint alleges. Both suits accuse the companies of violating the Connecticut Product Liability Act and Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, saying they harmed customers by overcharging them for contaminated water. Also, the complaints say the plaintiffs have been harmed due to PFAS that have accumulated in their bodies, putting them at increased risk for health problems. The lawsuits were filed in Bridge- port Superior Court and Hartford Superior Court on Oct. 18. Aquarion and Connecticut Water are both investor-owned utilities. Bridgeport-based Aquarion, a subsidiary of Eversource Energy, serves about 750,000 people in 72 municipalities in Connecticut. Connecticut Water, based in Clinton, serves about 350,000 people in 60 Connecticut towns and cities. Ian Sloss CT MEDICAL PROVIDERS WITH THE LARGEST MALPRACTICE LAWSUIT INDEMNITY PAYOUTS Medical provider No. of closed claims Total indemnity payments Average indemnity payments Hospitals 511 $670.6M $1.3M Physicians 264 $211.9M $802,953 Dentist 75 $14.5M $193,200 Gynecology/OB-GYN 72 $69.5M $965,623 Medical Group/Other Corporate Group Practice 63 $66.7M $1.1M *The data incorporates indemnity payouts over a four-year period, from 2018 to 2022. Source: CT Insurance Dept. CT Medical Malpractice Report the next-generation of attorneys, Thompson said. Noble is a past president of the Connecticut Defense Lawyers Asso- ciation and holds a bachelor's degree and law degree from Boston College. Mayer, treasurer of the board of directors of the Connecticut Defense Lawyers Association, holds a law degree from Quinnipiac Univer- sity and a bachelor's degree from Northern Illinois University. Izzo graduated from the Quinnipiac University School of Law and also received a bachelor's degree in legal studies from Quinnipiac.