Carlos M. Bollar is Co-Chair of Archer’s Environmental Justice Practice Group and represents clients in complex toxic tort, product liability and environmental litigation matters. Carlos has over 20 years of experience handling environmental litigation cases in all of the contexts in which they arise, including single plaintiff cases, mass actions involving hundreds of plaintiffs, class actions and defending clients against state and federal government. Carlos typically handles high stakes litigation with massive potential damages. He has tried numerous contested matters in federal and state courts and has experience in all aspects of pre-trial and trial work.
Carlos represents clients in cases often involving claims for personal injury, medical monitoring, property damage and natural resource damages. He routinely handles claims involving exposure to various types of hazardous substances, including benzene, MTBE and chlorinated compounds. Carlos also handles environmental insurance cases, representing policyholders in their efforts to obtain coverage against insurers for environmental claims. He regularly counsels clients in state and federal regulatory matters and represents those clients in administrative hearings.
Carlos is the Immediate Past President of the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA). He has been a deeply committed member of the HNBA, serving in various Board positions over the years. In addition to his position on the HNBA’s Executive Committee, Carlos is also the past president of the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey. Carlos also serves on the Board of Trustees for the New Jersey State Bar Association.
Representative Experience
- Ongoing representation of an international petroleum company in multiple gasoline-related product liability cases seeking natural resource damages in a consolidated multidistrict litigation in the Southern District of New York. Each individual case seeks several hundred million dollars in damages.
- A six month jury trial involving product liability claims related to a service station in Maryland. Mr. Bollar was part of a trial team that defended the client against the claims of over 500 private homeowners for noneconomic, property and punitive damages. The Maryland Court of Appeals issued a favorable and landmark ruling in this matter entitled Albright, et al v. Exxon Mobil Corp.
- A five month jury trial in defense of a major petroleum company from claims of over 300 plaintiffs arising from a gasoline leak in excess of 25,000 gallons into a bedrock aquifer. The Maryland Court of Appeals issued a favorable and landmark opinion in this matter entitled Ford, et al v. Exxon Mobil Corp.
- Settlement of a lawsuit with favorable results relating to the sale and remediation of a gasoline service station property with potential compensatory and punitive damages exposure in excess of $8 million.
- Frequent regulatory and compliance counseling for a client engaging in the ongoing investigation and remediation of petroleum hydrocarbons in a fractured bedrock environment in a well water community.
- Bench trial in defense of a client relating to the excavation of subsurface gasoline station equipment and efforts to remediate the property. The matter was settled favorably while on appeal to the New Jersey Appellate Division.
Professional and Community Involvement
- Immediate Past President, Hispanic National Bar Association
- Past President, Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey
- Board of Trustees Member, New Jersey State Bar Association
- Board of Trustees Member, Legal Services of New Jersey
- Member, Supreme Court of New Jersey’s District IV Ethics Committee (2011-2014)
Articles and Presentations
- “Diversity on the Federal Bench Should Be a Priority for the President No Matter His Party,” The Legal Intelligencer (November 2020)
- “Environmental Justice – the Emergence of New Jersey as a Leader,” New Jersey State Bar Association (October 2020)
- “Serving the Hispanic Business Community,” South Jersey Chamber of Commerce (September 2018)
- “The Next Generation of Trial Attorneys,” Corporate Litigation Retreat (March 2018)
- “Managing Outside Counsel Spend: Strategies for In House Counsel,” HBA-NJ Corporate Counsel Roundtable (January 2018)
- “How and When To Break the Rules: Effective Cross-Examinations,” HNBA Annual Conference (September 2017)
- “2017 Recent Developments in New Jersey Law,” New Jersey State Bar Association (July 2017)
- “Taking and Defending Depositions,” Camden County Bar Association (November 2016)
- “Diversity in the Legal Profession,” Minority Student Program Reception, Rutgers School of Law (November 2016)
- “E-Discovery and the New Federal Rules,” HBA-NJ Corporate Counsel Roundtable (November 2016)
- Hispanic Business Forum (multiple topics), Chamber of Commerce for Southern New Jersey (November 2015, October 2016)
- “Maximizing the Value of Legal Department Initiatives,” HNBA Annual Conference (October 2016)
- “Ethical Implications of Social Media,” HNBA Annual Conference (September 2015)
- “Dealing With Difficult Situations Involving Diversity,” Philadelphia Diversity Law Group (May 2015)
- “Litigation in the Age of Technology (e-Discovery and emerging litigation issues),” HBA-NJ 14th Annual Sun, Surf & Seminars (May 2015)