The "Old Smokey" case, a long-simmering legal battle over toxic pollution from a former waste incinerator in Miami’s historic West Coconut Grove neighborhood, is accelerating toward a critical hearing on class action certification. The hearing will determine whether the plaintiffs’ proposed classes for medical monitoring and property damage can proceed. Aiding residents in the complex class-action fight are student interns from the University of Miami School of Law's Environmental Justice Clinic.
Jumping into the high-stakes litigation are 2L interns Tania Garcia-Solis, Christopher Cahan, and Lindsay Sheldon, alongside 3L fellow Kyle Spohn. In just a few months, the clinic team has been immersed in the demanding work of motions practice, expert discovery, and complex legal research. Garcia-Solis described the experience as “demanding, engrossing, and deeply satisfying.”
"The team has shown incredible dedication, mastering complex legal issues in a short time," said Doug Ruley, director of the clinic and the students’ supervising attorney. “This is about addressing decades of environmental and health impacts inflicted on this community. Their work is vital to achieving some measure of justice in the West Grove."
The students are gaining more than just research skills; they are receiving hands-on courtroom experience. In Sept. Cahan and Sheldon attended a hearing on one of the case's many motions, interacting directly with presiding Judge Spencer Eig.
"We really appreciated that Judge Eig took an interest in our involvement in the case," said Cahan. "He asked our names and invited us to sit up closer so we could fully absorb what was going on, giving us a great learning opportunity because the hearing involved some really high-level concepts and arguments.”
The clinic, which functions as an in-house, live-client law firm, is integrated into the larger attorney team pursuing the case, which includes Caro Law and Downs Law Group. This collaboration introduces students to the scale required for class actions of this magnitude.
"It's been fascinating to see how a big legal team works on a huge case like this,” Sheldon said, reflecting on the experience.
As the case moves forward, the students are also helping the team prepare for an upcoming first round of mediation, which will be hosted on the University campus. This intensive work is refining their skills in effective advocacy, civil procedure, and teamwork, laying a strong foundation for their future careers as advocates.
Read more about Miami Law’s clinics.
Read more about Miami Law’s environmental law area of study.
