Environmental Law, Toxic Torts, Commercial Law & Contracts

Superfund Liability for the Repair of a Useful Product

by Robert S. Sanoff | Foley Hoag LLP - Environmental Law on 5/14/2013

A few months ago, I blogged on the decision in Duke Energy Progress Inc. v. Alcan Aluminum Corporation where a court held that a company would not be held liable for selling used transformers to a recycling facility for...more

Ashley II Holdings Require Caution

by Larry Burke | Davis Wright Tremaine LLP on 5/13/2013

On April 4, 2013, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a much anticipated decision in PCS Nitrogen, Inc. v. Ashley II of Charleston LLC, No. 11-1662 (4th Cir. April 4, 2013) (Ashley II). ...more

Mistakes Have Consequences – British Petroleum’s Settlement

by Cleve Clinton | Looper Reed & McGraw, P.C. on 4/30/2013

Three years ago, Tilting told tales of oil spill legal problems suffered by Forrest Gump, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Wok Ann chu-gumm Seafood Restaurants, Chef Red Fishy and Bishop Carp. Tilting predicted class action...more

Fourth Circuit Restricts “Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser” Defense

by William Cleveland, IV, Perrin Dargan, III, David Franchina | K&L Gates LLP on 4/19/2013

On April 4, 2013, the Fourth Circuit issued a ruling in PCS Nitrogen Inc. v. Ashley II of Charleston that, among other things, may limit the availability of the “bona fide prospective purchaser” (“BFPP”) defense that Congress...more

PCS Nitrogen Inc. v. Ashley II of Charleston: Required Reading for Superfund Lawyers

by Robert S. Sanoff | Foley Hoag LLP - Environmental Law on 4/9/2013

The Fourth Circuit handed down a primer on CERCLA liability last week in PCS Nitrogen Inc. v. Ashley II of Charleston. It should be required reading for Superfund lawyers. The facts in the case are worthy of a law school law...more

EPA Clarifies "Innocent Tenant" Liability Under CERCLA

by Emily Lamond, Robert Lawrence | Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP on 4/8/2013

Recent EPA guidance imposes new environmental due diligence and compliance requirements on prospective commercial and industrial tenants. The guidance purports to clarify an exemption from liability, but actually confirms...more

EPA Lifts Threat of CERCLA Liability for Some Tenants of Brownfields

by Thomas Hogan, Christopher Marraro | BakerHostetler on 2/18/2013

Tenants who lease currently or formerly contaminated property can now benefit from protections from cleanup liability that were once available only to purchasers of such property. EPA announced its new policy in a December...more

Should Tenants Worry About Environmental Liabilities For Their Leased Property?

by Mark E. Beliveau, Kenneth Gray | Pierce Atwood LLP on 1/23/2013

By 2013, most property owners have heard of the advantages of performing environmental due diligence and conducting “All Appropriate Inquiry” by obtaining an Environmental Site Assessment before purchase. Doing so is key to...more

Brownfield Tenants Gain CERCLA Liability Protection

by Bruce Flushman | Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean LLP on 1/15/2013

Good News: Brownfield Tenants Gain CERCLA Liability Protection - In December 2012, an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Guidance Memo set out a new EPA enforcement policy. In sum, on a discretionary basis, the EPA...more

EPA Guidance Further Clarifies The Protections Available To Tenants Under Superfund’s BFPP Defense

by Ronald Farley | Burr & Forman on 1/11/2013

As part of an evolving effort to encourage the redevelopment of brownfield properties, the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA” or “Superfund”) was amended in 2002 to provide...more

New Liability Protection For Tenants On Brownfield Properties

by Jane Luxton | Pepper Hamilton LLP on 1/9/2013

In a December 2012 Guidance Memo, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new enforcement principles intended to enhance protections for tenants on contaminated or previously contaminated “brownfield” properties....more

EPA Revises Guidance On Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser Protection For Tenants Under Federal Superfund Law

by Lucas Narducci | Polsinelli on 1/5/2013

On December 5, 2012, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revised its enforcement guidance regarding when tenants may be treated as bona fide prospective purchasers (BFPPs). The revised guidance addresses...more

New EPA Guidance Gives Long-Term Tenants Direct Access to the Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser Defense and Greater Protection from...

by Jeffrey Kirschenbaum | Buchalter Nemer on 1/4/2013

Newly issued guidance by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) suggests that prudent long-term tenants of commercial and industrial properties should conduct environmental due diligence before entering into a...more

Minimizing Commercial Lease Risks Through Proper Environmental Due Dilligence

by Lane Powell PC - Environmental Law on 11/21/2012

As real estate development and leasing begin to emerge slowly from the dark days of the Great Recession, it’s important to remember that environmental considerations should not take a back seat to getting a deal done. In...more

Michigan Court Holds Tank Repair Costs Not Covered Under UST Policy

by Traub Lieberman Straus & Shrewsberry LLP on 11/19/2012

In its recent decision in H & M Petro Mart v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 163205 (E.D.Mich. Nov, 15, 2012), the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan had occasion to consider the...more

Mold, Asbestos, and Raw Sewage – The Toxic Stew that Sandy Left Behind

by Aisha Cassis, Jonathan M. Cohen | Gilbert LLP on 11/13/2012

Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc across the Eastern Seaboard and is predicted to be one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history. New York’s Governor Cuomo estimates that the storm may have had a $50 billion impact...more

Hurricane Sandy and Environmental Compliance

by Pierce Atwood LLP on 10/31/2012

As we all prepare for -- or cope with -- the impacts of this storm, we hope you and your loved ones stay safe. Unfortunately, environmental impacts are inevitable. We are mindful that EPA was criticized after Katrina for...more

Indemnification Agreements Under CERCLA Do Not Affect Liability to Entities That Are Not Parties to the Agreement

by Foley Hoag LLP - Environmental Law on 10/18/2012

Section 107(e) of CERCLA provides that - "No indemnification, hold harmless, or similar agreement or conveyance shall be effective to transfer from the owner or operator of any vessel or facility or from any person who...more

State of California v. Continental Insurance Company, et al.

by Low, Ball & Lynch on 10/12/2012

Insurance Coverage – Stacking of Policy Limits on Progressive & Continuous Loss - California Supreme Court (August 9, 2012) In this decision, the California Supreme Court has ruled for the first time that in a...more

Settling Water-Based Superfund Liabilities -- A Toxic Brew

by Foley Hoag LLP - Environmental Law on 10/11/2012

In a poignant moment in Godfather III, Al Pacino’s character says: “Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in”. EPA's recent eye-popping announcement of a $366 million encore settlement by AVX with respect to the...more

MDEQ Issues Revised Part 201 Generic Cleanup Criteria

by Pepper Hamilton LLP on 10/5/2012

Important changes to Michigan’s Part 201 cleanup criteria became effective September 28, 2012. Among other revisions, inhalation pathway criteria for both soil and groundwater were made more stringent for several constituents...more

State Supreme Court Rules Against Insurers in Stringfellow Acid Pits Case

by Barger & Wolen on 8/15/2012

Larry Golub was quoted in an Aug. 9, 2012, article by The Recorder (subscription required) on the state Supreme Court ruling in State of California v. Continental Insurance, involving the cleanup of the Stringfellow Acid...more

California Court Says Insureds Can Stack Policies For Max Coverage

by Barger & Wolen on 8/15/2012

Partner Larry Golub was quoted in a Law360 (subscription required) article published on Aug. 9, 2012, about a key California Supreme Court ruling that insurance policyholders with long-term property damage and personal injury...more

California Allows Policyholders to "Stack" Insurance Coverage

by Proskauer Rose LLP on 8/15/2012

Last Thursday, the California Supreme Court effectively increased the amount of insurance available to businesses for latent injury claims. In a unanimous decision in State of California v. Continental Ins. Co. et al.,...more

California Supreme Court Expands Available Policy Limits To Cover Environmental Claims

by Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger... on 8/15/2012

On August 9, 2012, the California Supreme Court handed down its much anticipated decision in State of California v. Continental Ins. Co. The California Supreme Court held that the “all sums” method of allocation applies in...more

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Environmental Law › Toxic Torts › Commercial Law & Contracts