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Local investigator honored as best in state | pnj.com | Pensacola News Journal
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Carol Moore is a certified
legal investigator for
Pensacola's Levin
Papantonio law firm. (Bruce
Graner/bgraner@pnj.com)
Local investigator honored as best in state
Pensacola's Moore first woman to receive honor
Kris Wernowsky • kwernowsky@pnj.com • June 2, 2008
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Carol Moore knows that she works in a man's world.
She likes to say that for every 100 male legal
investigators, only three women do what she does.
"It's really male-dominated," she said.
Moore, 59, has been threatened with physical
harm, chased, stalked and intimidated by the
handmaidens of the corporations she investigates
http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080602/NEWS01/806020314 (1 of 4)6/2/2008 11:23:15 AM
Carol Moore
-- Hometown: Born in Liberal, Kan.
-- Education: Legal assistant degree from Pensacola Junior
College and has continued her education at Troy University in the
Local investigator honored as best in state | pnj.com | Pensacola News Journal
for suspected environmental wrongdoing.
criminal justice program.
The 5-foot-4-inch Moore doesn't let a little
intimidation stop her. The key, she said, is that
when someone pushes, you must always push
back.
-- Family: Moore is married, has one son and two grandchildren.
-- Previous experience: Former director National Association of
Legal Investigators; served as president of Northwest Florida Staff
Legal Investigators; charter member of the Pensacola Legal
Secretaries; executive director of Emerald Coastkeepers Inc.;
Catholic Charities Board of Northwest Florida.
"You really have to stand your ground and let
people know that you aren't going to be
intimidated," she said.
Moore works for the Levin Papantonio law firm in
Pensacola and is regarded by her colleagues as
one of the nation's top environmental legal
investigators.
Last week, the Florida Board of Certified
Investigators recognized Moore's 26 years of
work by awarding her its investigator of the year honor. She is the first woman to receive the award.
"She's an inspiration," said Michelle Morton, chairwoman of the FBCI. "She's the type of investigator that all
investigators should strive to be."
Among her more recent accomplishments, Moore's work helped Levin Papantonio secure a $380 million
judgment against the DuPont corporation.
The firm represented residents of Spelter, W.Va., who claimed DuPont lied about health hazards from
arsenic, cadmium and lead that contaminated the air, soil and water.
"She's one of the most sought-after investigators for environmental cases across the country. She's
regarded as the new Erin Brockovich," said attorney Mike Papantonio, who works closely with Moore.
"It's impossible to handle a case the size of Spelter without an investigator who not only is willing to work
tirelessly but has the years of experience to do it," he said.
The case, Moore said, involved thousands of hours of research, travel, and door-to-door interviews. She had
to move to West Virginia for three months during the trial. When DuPont turned over 5,000 pages of internal
documents to the plaintiff's attorneys, Moore spent her days, nights and weekends poring through each page.
On a Sunday afternoon, in her bedroom, with music playing the background, she came across what would
be one of the key pieces of evidence in the case.
The document called "Connecting the Dots" showed that DuPont took measures to manage "the
dissemination of information and, ultimately, to thwart toxic tort claims," according to court papers.
Moore holds a business degree and began her career selling typesetting equipment throughout the
southeastern United States.
Her interest in environmental law began in the 1970s when she led the successful charge to move a waste
treatment facility off Weekly Bayou in southwest Escambia County.
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Local investigator honored as best in state
Local investigator honored as best in state | pnj.com | Pensacola News Journal
After deciding that she wanted a job that would keep her closer to home, a friend who worked at the Levin
law firm suggested that she try her hand at investigations.
"If you work in sales, you can be an investigator," Moore said. "It really teaches you how to approach people
and make them feel comfortable."
Since she began working at the firm, Moore has gone on to obtain a legal assistant degree from Pensacola
Junior College and continued her education at Troy University in the criminal justice program.
Moore also heads Emerald Coastkeeper Inc., a Northwest Florida environmental group founded by
Papantonio.
"That's what I really love to do," she said. "I do this job because I love to do that. I've always said that the
worst day in the field always beats the best day in the office."
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Local investigator honored as best in state | pnj.com | Pensacola News Journal
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