Lawyer who took on DuPont has book coming out

Jul 10, 2019 | 7:26 AM

NEW YORK — A top environmental lawyer, the inspiration for a film starring Mark Ruffalo, has a book coming about his 20-year battle with DuPont. Rob Bilott’s “Exposure” is scheduled for release in October.

Bilott had been representing corporations when he was contacted in 1998 by a West Virginia farmer who believed his creek was contaminated by runoff from a DuPont landfill. Bilott eventually filed a class action suit on behalf of thousands of people, a case ending in 2017 when DuPont and Chemours Co. agreed to pay more than $600 million. In a statement Wednesday issued through publisher Atria Books, Bilott said he hoped “Exposure” would inspire activists and raise awareness of chemicals in drinking water.

Todd Haynes is directing the film adaptation, which does not yet have a release date.