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John D. Lazzaretti
Principal
John Lazzaretti focuses his practice on environmental law, with an emphasis on complex environmental litigation and regulatory challenges.
John’s experience includes defending industrial and municipal clients against federal, state and private enforcement actions arising under the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and common law claims. John has represented clients in challenges to regulatory actions under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and their state counterparts in courts across the country.
John regularly counsels corporate, industrial and public sector clients on matters involving permitting and compliance arising under federal and state environmental programs, and the strategic management of environmental liabilities in business transactions.
While attending law school, John served as a judicial extern for The Honorable Peter C. Economus, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, and was also a member of the Giles Sutherland Rich Moot Court team.
John has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America, Ohio Super Lawyers – Rising Stars, a listing of the top up-and-coming lawyers in Ohio, and Law360 Rising Stars, a national listing of top attorneys under 40, and is a former Chair of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association’s Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Section.
- K2 Industrial Controls International, Ltd. v. Kuehne + Nagel, Inc. et al. – Representing a shipping company in litigation brought under the Carmack Amendment.
- West Virginia, et al. v. EPA, Case No. 15-1363 (D.C. Cir.) – Rulemaking challenge to EPA’s Clean Power Plan.
- North Dakota, et al. v. EPA, Case No. 15-1381 (D.C. Cir.) – Rulemaking challenge to EPA’s New Source Performance Standards for Electric Utility Generating Units.
- Murray Energy Corp., et al. v. Pruitt, Case No. 5:14-cv-00039 (N.D. W. Va.) – Brought the first action to enforce EPA compliance with Clean Air Act Section 321(a), which requires evaluation of losses and shifts of employment.
- Los Angeles County Flood Control District v. Nat’l Res. Def. Council, Inc., et al., Case No. 11-460 (U.S. Supreme Court) – Amicus curiae in support of the successful challenge to a Ninth Circuit ruling on the scope of liability under the Clean Water Act.
- Lockheed Martin Corp. v. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., et al. Case No. 5:10 CV 673 (N.D. Ohio), aff’d in Case No. 12-4108 (6th Cir.) – Successfully defended The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in a private cost recovery action arising under CERCLA and Ohio law for costs incurred at the historic Goodyear Airdock.
- U.S. v. Northshore Mining Co., Case No. 08-1423 (8th Cir. 2009) – Successfully revived the 1975 Reserve Mining case and obtained dismissal of the federal injunction against the current owner of the former Reserve Mining facility.
- Duke Energy Progress, LLC v. 3M Company, et al., Case Nos. 5:08-CV-00460-FL (E.D.N.C.) – Defended a major manganese chemicals manufacturer in CERCLA litigation involving the Ward Transformer Superfund Site.
Education
- Case Western Reserve University, J.D., Order of the Coif, 2006
- Penn State University Park, B.S., 2003
Admissions
- Ohio, 2006
Courts
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit
- U.S. Dist. Ct., N. Dist. of Ohio
- U.S. Dist. Ct., S. Dist. of Ohio
- U.S. Dist. Ct., N. Dist. of Indiana
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2019-2024 for Environmental Law