A district court held that an insurance company need not defend the owner of a landfill in an underlying CERCLA suit for recovery costs. The policy provided coverage for "wrongful entry," and the owner argued this provision applied because the underlying complaint alleges that odors, gas, and hazard...

A district court held that the prior owner of a contaminated site is jointly and severally liable for the current owner's response costs under CERCLA §107(a). The prior owner argued that the current owner has not incurred costs that are necessary or consistent with the NCP. But there is ample uncon...

The Tenth Circuit reversed in part and affirmed in part a lower court decision holding the seller of contaminated yet commercially viable buildings liable as an arranger under CERCLA. Due to hazardous substance contamination, the buildings were under an EPA order regulating their use. The prior owne...

The Federal Claims Court held that the U.S. government may not engage in discovery about oil companies' insurance policies in an underlying case concerning cleanup costs stemming from the production of high-octane aviation gas (avgas) during World War II. The Federal Circuit previously held that the...

A district court held that a waste broker is liable as an arranger under CERCLA and the Texas Solid Waste Disposal Act (TSWDA) in connection with the disposal of waste at the U.S. Oil Recovery Superfund site in Texas. A manufacturing company hired the broker to help facilitate the movement of its wa...

A district court dismissed property owners' lawsuit against a mining company for unlawfully diverting excess wastewater into underground mine voids located beneath their land. Although the owners filed suit after the statute-of-limitations period expired, the owners argued that CERCLA's discovery ru...