For decades, residents in Muscatine, Iowa had endured smoke, noxious odors, and haze from a nearby corn-processing plant. But in 2012, Muscatine residents decided they’d had enough. With the help of public-interest attorneys, the residents initiated a legal battle against the plant that lasted almost seven years and culminated in a $51.5 million settlement.

In the newest episode of American Scandal, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, Scott Entin, shares the challenges and triumphs of this seven-year legal odyssey, highlighting how his firm’s legal strategy could have broader implications for addressing environmental crises in the future, including climate change.