Jumbotrash Co., the country’s largest waste-disposal company, has been sued by environmental groups who have accused the firm of negligent handling of hazardous waste. The fines and legal fees that have resulted from the legal attacks against Jumbotrash have cost the company substantial amounts of money. Surprisingly, as successful lawsuits against the company have increased in number, the company has grown stronger and more profitable.

Which one of the following, if true, does the most to resolve the apparent paradox?

(A) Although waste-disposal firms merely handle but do not generate toxic waste, these firms have been held legally responsible for environmental damage caused by this waste.

(B) Jumbotrash has made substantial contributions to environmental causes, as have other large waste-disposal companies.

(C) Some of the judgments against Jumbotrash have legally barred it from entering the more profitable areas of the waste-management business.

(D) The example of Jumbotrash’s legal entanglements has driven most of the company’s competitors from the field and deterred potential rivals from entering it.

(E) In cases in which Jumbotrash has been acquitted of charges of negligence, the company has paid more in legal fees than it would have been likely to pay in fines.