Louisiana's Supreme Court last week reversed the certification of a class action brought by property owners over the alleged release of contaminants from a wood-treating site. See Price, et al. v. Martin, et al., No. 2011-C-0853 (La. 2011). What should catch readers' eyes is the court's reliance on the U.S. Supreme Court's Wal-Mart v. Dukes decision in this mass tort case. we have been following the lower courts' treatment of that decision, and this case represents a sensible application of the Court's commonality analysis.

Several individuals residing in the vicinity of the Dura-Wood Treating Company filed a proposed class action on behalf of persons who allegedly suffered damages as a result of operations at the wood-treating facility. The petition alleged that the Dura-Wood facility was primarily engaged in the production of creosote-treated railroad ties. Plaintiffs alleged that various environmentally unsound practices caused a significant amount of hazardous and toxic chemicals to be released into the environment, including the air, soil, and water, of the communities in which plaintiffs resided. For example, according to the petition, from 1940 to mid-1950, significant quantities of creosote sludge were deposited into area canals and ponds. According to plaintiffs, the allegedly negligent releases increased their risk of disease, caused property damage, and diminished property values. Plaintiffs also alleged that defendants’ activities constituted a nuisance.