A court held that a biomedical company may go forward with its suit for injunctive relief to stop terrifying acts allegedly committed by members of an animal rights group who targeted the company's employees as part of an effort to expose animal abuse in biomedical labs. The group argued that the co...

A court dismissed an environmental group's lawsuit against wind power operators in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area. The group argued that the operators violated the state's unfair competition law and the common-law public trust doctrine based on bird collisions with the wind turbines. But the g...

A district court held that the U.S. Department of the Interior need not release certain documents to a nonprofit group relating to the National Park Service's (NPS') proposal to enter into "benefits sharing" agreements with private parties permitting the collection and commercial use of biological m...

A district court granted in part and denied in part motions to dismiss a lawsuit challenging a local ballot initiative that prohibits the land application of sewage treatment residues in the unincorporated areas of a county. A city that generates the biosolids, as well as farms and contractors who r...

The court vacated and remanded a lower court decision ordering an insurance company to indemnify a chemical manufacturer for liability incurred as a result of environmental contamination at four sites near Niagara Falls. The district court allocated the costs of remediation equally over the years in...

A California appellate court reversed a lower court decision dismissing a citizen group's petition for writ of mandate challenging a city's approval of a shopping center. The group claimed that the city's certification of the final environmental impact report and its approval of a use permit for the...

A California appellate court upheld a county's environmental impact report (EIR) for a proposed sand, gravel, and granite mine located on ranchland near a stream. An environmental group argued that the county violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by failing to include and analyze ...

The court dismissed individuals' Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) suit against the U.S. military for personal injury and property damage resulting from the U.S. Navy's operation of a training facility on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico. It is undisputed that the discretionary function exception generally ...

The court reversed the dismissal of an action challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) decision not to adopt a draft policy that would have provided guidance to zoos, research facilities, and other regulated entities in how to ensure the psychological well-being of non-human primate...

The court upheld a lower court decision denying a consortium of Florida growers' motions to amend their complaints against a fungicide manufacturer and entering summary judgment against them on their claims of fraudulent settlement, spoliation, and racketeering. The growers alleged that the fungicid...