Many residents recently received a letter from the law firm Liddle Sheets P.C.s requesting information for a potential class action lawsuit against the Arbor Hills Landfill. The Conservancy Initiative has attempted to contact Liddle Sheets P.C., but we have not received a return call. We are writing to share our perspective and recommend that residents do not respond to this request. Our community must remain united and focused on a single goal: stopping the proposed new landfill in Salem Township. NO NEW LANDFILL!
It’s important to understand that ignoring this letter will not prevent you from joining a class action lawsuit in the future. Your rights will remain intact. We will have the ability to pursue a class action lawsuit after our efforts to stop the new landfill.
The Conservancy Initiative and Northville Township leadership are fully committed to preventing the approval of the new landfill. In contrast, Liddle Sheets P.C. appears to be pursuing a punitive class action lawsuit—one in which they, not the community, are likely to benefit the most. Liddle Sheets P.C. may argue that joining their effort involves minimal risk. Even if that’s true, the class action will not—and cannot—stop the new landfill from being built. Green for Life will not agree to any settlement that includes abandoning its landfill plans. This is not the time to divide our efforts. Our collective energy must stay centered on stopping the landfill project. The option to pursue a class action will still be available in one to two years—after we’ve resolved the fight that matters most.
This isn’t the first time Liddle Sheets P.C. (formerly Liddle Dubin P.C.) has targeted Arbor Hills. Less than a decade ago, they filed a similar class action against then-owner Advanced Disposal Services. The class included about 1,700 households within two miles of the landfill. The case settled for $750,000—with Liddle Dubin receiving the largest portion of the settlement. Two plaintiffs specifically named in the suit received $2,500 each. The remaining funds after expenses were divided among class members, who received no more than the cost of a decent dinner.
[Click here to view the 2017 settlement with Advanced Disposal]
Let’s keep our attention where it counts:
Protecting our community. Preventing a new landfill.