North River Mews Assocs. v. Alcoa Corp.
In an unpublished opinion, a district court held that a developer may go forward with its CERCLA, tort law, and fraudulent concealment claims against the former owner of contaminated property under which PCB-contaminated USTs were discovered after the developer purchased the property. The developer ...
BCCA Appeal Group, Inc. v. City of Houston
The Supreme Court of Texas held that the Texas Clean Air Act and the Act’s enforcement mechanisms in the Texas Water Code preempt a Houston air-quality ordinance. The Houston ordinance’s enforcement provisions are inconsistent with the statutory enforcement requirements. The ordinance allows cri...
Valbruna Slater Steel Corp. v. Joslyn Manufacturing Co.
A district court denied a manufacturing company's motion to certify for interlocutory appeal certain questions pertaining to its statute of limitations and claim preclusion defenses in an underlying case over who should bear the cost of cleaning up contamination at a steel processing site. The curre...
State ex rel. Koster v. Republic Services, Inc.
A district court granted Missouri's remand request to litigate in state court its lawsuit against the owner and operator of a landfill in connection with an uncontrolled, underground trash fire at the site. The state alleged various state law violations, along with claims for nuisance, cost recovery...
PCS Phosphate Co. v. American Home Assurance Co.
A district court held that an insurer has no duty to defend or indemnify a company in two underlying actions seeking contribution for past and future costs incurred at a PCB-contaminated site. The company had sent transformers to the site for repair, during which PCBs were released. The company was ...