The Louisiana Supreme Court held that property owners who leased their land for oil and gas development were not required to give oil companies pre-suit notice or an opportunity to perform prior to filing their suit against the companies for property contamination. The companies argued that Article ...

The Wyoming Supreme Court reversed the state's calculation of severance taxes owed by a company that operates a large natural gas well facility in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. State law provides that the fair market value of natural gas for severance tax purposes is determined after the produc...

A North Carolina appellate court held that the North Carolina Sedimentation Control Commission erred in issuing a country club a variance from state buffer requirements allowing it to build a nine-hole golf course along and over Banks Creek, certified trout waters. The applicable state statute requi...

The Tenth Circuit held that a proposed intervener may not establish standing, and thus federal court jurisdiction over its motion to intervene, by "piggybacking" on the standing of an existing party to a lawsuit over which the district court has retained jurisdiction but within which there is no cur...

A California appellate court affirmed a lower court decision denying residents' motion to overturn a city's approval of use permits and zoning variances for a mixed-use development project. The residents failed to establish that the city proceeded unlawfully, that the decision was not supported by t...

The First Circuit held that a transit authority's state law contribution claims against a railroad operator for contamination that occurred more than 20 years ago are barred by a 1983 consummation order entered in bankruptcy. The June 30, 1983, consummation order discharged the railroad operator fro...

The Fifth Circuit affirmed a lower court decision dismissing a class action against 32 contractors hired by the United States to perform dredging activities in the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) for damages suffered as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The dredgers acted pursuant to contracts wit...

A California appellate court reversed a lower court decision denying developers' suit against a city challenging its extension of an ordinance restricting development in areas zoned for multifamily residential use. The extension was contrary to law and invalid because the city failed to identify "a ...

The Ninth Circuit held that animal rights organizations lacked standing to challenge a USDA notice stating that "there is no specific federal humane handling and slaughter statute for poultry." The lower court entered summary judgment in favor of the USDA, holding that while the plain meaning of the...

A California appellate court affirmed a lower court's decision not to interject itself into a city's still ongoing process of preparing an environmental impact report (EIR) for a proposed development project. The developer wanted the lower court to issue a writ of administrative mandamus to compel t...