Rhode Island

Jonathan D. Orent
Associate

Jonathan Orent represents communities and individuals facing personal injury, property damage and economic loss as a result of negligence, environmental hazards or groundwater and soil contamination. In 2008, he litigated against a large New England utility company on behalf of more than 100 Tiverton, R.I., residents who claimed they suffered damages resulting from environmental contamination of their residential property. More recently, Jonathan was a central player in the settlement of contamination litigation between members of the Tallevast, Fla., community and a major aerospace defense contractor involving property damage and emotional distress claims resulting from the alleged release of trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloroethylene (PCE) and other chemicals into the groundwater.

Currently, Jonathan is litigating nuclear contamination cases, representing clients in Pennsylvania's Apollo-Parks area who allege they suffered severe illnesses after being exposed to dangerous levels of toxic or radioactive materials released into the air, water and soil by local nuclear facilities.

Jonathan also represents hundreds of clients allegedly harmed by transvaginal mesh/sling products in hundreds of filed cases against such large corporations as Boston Scientific, American Medical Systems, Inc. (AMS), C.R. Bard, Inc., and Johnson & Johnson. He serves as co-liaison counsel in the In re Bard Litigation in New Jersey state court and as state court liaison counsel in Massachusetts.

Jonathan has worked on complex litigation against the lead paint industry on behalf of government entities in California, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin, as well as lead poisoning cases on behalf of individual children and families against property owners. He additionally contributes to the firm's Occupational Disease and Toxic Tort group, assisting with discovery and trial preparation of the firm's asbestos cases.

Prior to joining Motley Rice in 2005, Jonathan served as a law clerk with the Missouri State Public Defender Youth Advocacy Unit and a legal intern for Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois. A frequent speaker, he has made numerous presentations on a variety of legal matters involving environmental law. He serves on the Rhode Island Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, a group whose mission is to address key community issues and discrimination matters, such as foreclosure scams and the disparate treatment of minority youth, through research and initiatives.

Jonathan is a member of the board of the Rhode Island Toxic Action Center, the American Association for Justice and the American Bar Association.

* Please remember that every case is different. Any result we achieve for one client in one matter does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.