The court holds that a mine company cannot argue that a partial taking occurred when a county adopted a land use plan that designated a tract of the company's land as a river corridor where no mining could occur. The court first holds that the record is unclear as to what burden of proof the trial c...
The court holds that a state zoning board failed to properly consider the historical significance of an area before granting a granite mining operation a conditional use permit, and, therefore, the permit is vacated. A Native American village challenged the board's grant of the permit. The court fir...
The court holds that a trial court incorrectly concluded that a city ordinance regulating junkyards was a zoning ordinance subject to notice-and-hearing requirements. A junkyard owner who had been cited for several violations of the ordinance claimed that the ordinance was inapplicable because it wa...
The court holds that neither an amended Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) consent decree between a waste handler and the United States nor a previous trust agreement with other CERCLA defendants bound a waste handler to sign a new trust agreement. The dis...
The court holds that a local utilities authority was not authorized under the New Jersey Municipal and Counties Utilities Authorities Law (MCUAL) to charge prior users of the authority's waste disposal facilities an environmental investment credit (EIC). The authority imposed the EIC in order to liq...
The court holds on motions for summary judgment that a manufacturer and a newspaper company are liable under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) for allowing a landowner to dispose of their waste on his property without a permit. The court first holds t...
The court reverses and remands a district court decision that landowners who sued oil companies in a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) suit did not incur response costs in acting to contain a proven release of hazardous substances. The court fist holds th...
The court reverses a district court decision granting summary judgment in favor of two corporations in a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) action brought by a paper manufacturers' association seeking contribution for costs incurred in the investigation an...
A California appellate court held that a subdivision development project is not exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The county deemed the project exempt from CEQA under the categorical exemption for in-fill development. But the proposed subdivision...
An Indiana appellate court held that the economic loss doctrine does not preclude a property owner from pursuing negligence claims against a company that previously operated a manufacturing site on adjacent property. If a plaintiff is not seeking damages involving the benefit of the bargain or other...