Environmental Law, Criminal Law

BP Exec Defends Safety Record in Combative Trial Testimony

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 4/12/2013

An executive with oil giant BP steadfastly defended the company’s commitment to safety while testifying today in the civil trial over the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. BP’s Neil Shaw delivered testimony that grew...more

Exec Insists Safety Came First Before BP Oil Spill

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 4/10/2013

An executive for oil giant BP testified today that he personally worked to improve the company’s safety culture in the years leading up to the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion that killed 11 workers and dumped millions of...more

BP Could Have Stopped Gulf Oil Spill on Day 2, Says Expert

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 4/4/2013

Oil giant BP could have stopped the massive 2010 oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico just two days after the blowout aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, an expert witness testified today in the civil trial over the spill....more

NH Supreme Court Says Unlawful Operation Of Solid Waste Facility Or Septic System Can Result In Criminal Penalties

by John M. Formella, Matthew D. Manahan | Pierce Atwood LLP on 3/26/2013

On March 20, 2013, the New Hampshire Supreme Court issued a decision in State v. Guay, holding that the defendant’s unlawful operation of a solid waste facility or septic system can result not just in civil fines, but also in...more

Judge Shoots Down BP’s Request to Drop Gross Negligence Charge

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 3/19/2013

As soon as plaintiffs’ attorneys in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill trial called their last witness, an attorney for BP asked U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier to dismiss charges that the oil giant committed “gross...more

Expert Testifies Deepwater Horizon ‘Not Seaworthy’

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 3/15/2013

Wrapping up the third week of testimony in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill trial, marine engineering expert Edward Geoffrey Webster testified that the rig was out of compliance with international and federal safety...more

Deepwater Horizon Worker Missed Critical Blowout Warning

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 3/14/2013

A Halliburton employee who survived the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion testified today that he failed to act upon signals that the Macondo well was unstable, but doesn’t believe he did anything wrong....more

Halliburton Cement in Doomed Oil Well Failed Stability Tests

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 3/13/2013

An executive with oil services contractor Halliburton testified today that it would have required “perfect conditions” for his company’s cement formula to have properly set in the Macondo oil well, site of the 2010 Deepwater...more

Catches Down & Prices Up Two Years After BP Oil Spill

by Perry Draper Law on 3/13/2013

There are always fluctuations in catches, often exaggerated by fishers as they exchange tall tales. Two years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Louisiana crab and shrimpers are complaining about dire drops in yields. But...more

Halliburton Accused of Destroying Evidence in Oil Spill Trial

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 3/12/2013

A Halliburton executive was questioned today over allegations that his company destroyed evidence related to the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion of 2010, but insisted he was not personally involved in any coverup....more

Expert Witnesses Harpoon BP, Transocean, Halliburton

by Josh Crank | Lawyers.com on 3/7/2013

Two expert witnesses testified today in the civil trial against oil company BP and its contractors, Transocean and Halliburton, listing the critical errors they say contributed to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig...more

Hot Topics in Mining Litigation

by Riyaz Dattu, Jennifer Fairfax, Laura Fric, Mark Gelowitz | Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP on 3/4/2013

Recent Canadian and international trends point to signs of an increasingly litigious mining industry and an increased risk of liability exposure for mining companies, officers and directors. Over the last several months,...more

Federal Charges Filed for Ohio Drilling Waste Release; Ohio Legislation Proposes Increased Penalties

by George Skupski | BakerHostetler on 2/20/2013

Early last week, we covered the response of Ohio regulators to an alleged release of hydraulic fracturing waste into a Youngstown, Ohio area tributary by Hard Rock Excavating (Hard Rock), an affiliate of oil and gas player...more

Discharge of Drilling Waste in Ohio Triggers Civil and Criminal Enforcement Actions; Heightens Scrutiny of State Regulatory...

by George Skupski | BakerHostetler on 2/12/2013

A release of approximately 40,000 gallons of oil and gas operations waste into a Youngstown, Ohio area storm drain flowing into the Mahoning River is igniting a call for tighter regulatory oversight and more transparent...more

Environmental Crimes and Punishment

by Randall M. Lutz | Saul Ewing LLP on 1/24/2013

A few years ago the president of a well-known food brand was convicted and sentenced to serve nine months in federal prison for failing to stop his plant from engaging in a practice that he knew was a violation of...more

White Collar Watch - January 2013

by Andrea P. Brockway, Christopher R. Hall, Randall M. Lutz, Nicholas J. Nastasi, Christine Pickel, Brian Simons, Chad Williams III | Saul Ewing LLP on 1/23/2013

In This Issue: - Death and Taxes? Recent Supreme Court Arguments in Gabelli v. SEC Concerning a General Statute of Limitations for Civil Fines May Also Affect How Long the IRS Has to Assess Penalties - Avoiding...more

Disposing Of Pharmaceutical Waste: Some Progress

by William J. Walsh | Pepper Hamilton LLP on 1/22/2013

In 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seemed to be on the road to providing some much-needed clarity to hospitals and other medical facilities concerning the disposal of pharmaceuticals by proposing that...more

Patton Boggs Insights - December 2012: Litigation/Courts: Three Sentenced To Prison For Asbestos Violations

by Patton Boggs LLP on 1/18/2013

Three Tennessee men have been sentenced to a combined total of more than seven years in prison for Clean Air Act and other violations related to a demolition project. ...more

EPA Releases 2012 Enforcement Results

by Elizabeth Partlow | Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,... on 1/16/2013

Under the headline “EPA Enforcement in 2012 Protects Communities from Harmful Pollution,” the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on December 17, 2012, released its annual report of enforcement activities for the 2012...more

EPA’s 2012 Enforcement Results – What Do They Mean?

by Michael Volkov on 1/10/2013

Shortly before the end of the year, EPA released its annual review of its civil and criminal enforcement results for the Fiscal Year 2012....more

New Laws for the New Year

by Steven Getman on 12/28/2012

Nationwide, more than two hundred new laws will take effect January 1, according to Ovid attorney Steven Getman. In some states, the new laws include legalization of gay marriages and marijuana usage. In New York...more

Article 207 Expungement Not Available When Probation Terminated In Domestic Violence Case

by Greg HIll on 12/19/2012

Many Attorneys tell their clients the “expungement is a right. In fact, Penal Code § 1203.4 uses the word ‘shall’, meaning the court has no discretion to deny an expungement request if the defendant...more

Conviction for Possession of Materials to Produce Methamphetamine Reversed

by Greg HIll on 12/17/2012

Pacoima police received information that a shoe store there was selling narcotics. The police then put the store under surveillance. On February 2, 2009, police saw Carlos Garcia go into the store and leave with a large white...more

What is Vandalism and Graffiti (Penal Code § 594)?

by Greg HIll on 12/12/2012

California Penal Code § 594 defines vandalism as defacing another’s property with graffiti “or other inscribed material,” or damaging or destroying another’s property. To be convicted of...more

Federal Criminal Lawyer Douglas McNabb of McNabb Associates - News On Current Federal Criminal Cases

by McNabb Associates, P.C. on 11/9/2012

November 9, 2012 - The Federal Crimes Watch Daily The Federal Crimes Watch Daily is a daily newspaper that discusses current federal criminal issues written by a federal criminal defense attorney. Topics Include:...more

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Environmental Law › Criminal Law