By Brittany W. DeBord | Published November 6, 2017 | Posted in Constitutional Law, Environmental & Natural Resources, Environmental Cleanup Cost Recovery, Spill Compensation and Control Act (Spill Act) | Leave a comment
On Tuesday, November 7, 2017, New Jersey voters will be asked to decide on a state constitutional amendment regarding the use of natural resource damages collected by the State in environmental contamination cases. New Jersey has the authority to collect damages for restoration of natural resources under the New Jersey Water Pollution Control Act, N.J.S.A. Read More
Read MoreIn 2015, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that private party contribution claims under the New Jersey Spill Compensation and Control Act (the “Spill Act”) are not time barred by a statute of limitations. See Morristown Associates v. Grant Oil Co., 220 N.J. 360 (2015). Accordingly, private claims for contribution pursuant to the Spill Act Read More
Read MoreIn 18-01 Pollitt Drive, LLC v. Engel, the Appellate Division held that the discard of piping, a sump pit, and concrete flooring during remediation constitutes spoliation of material, physical evidence. Docket No. A-4833-13T3 (App. Div. Oct. 31, 2016). Spoliation of evidence occurs when a litigant has “hidden, destroyed, or lost relevant evidence and thereby impaired Read More
Read MoreA recent Appellate Division case shed some light on certain procedural requirements for environmental claims. In Bradley v. Kovelesky, et al., Docket No.: A-0423-14T4, the claims before the court pertained to an 8.3 acre property in Middletown Township. Lawrence Carton, deceased June 2007, purchased the property January 2006. Carton set out to build a residence Read More
Read MoreThe Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (“MassDEP”) recently proposed to reopen closed waste sites based on available data that suggests levels of trichloroethylene (“TCE”) may exceed current United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) toxicity values. While the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“NJDEP”) has not yet proposed a similar endeavor, it is worth following Read More
Read MoreNo Statute of Limitations Applies to Private Spill Act Claims The regulated community breathed a collective sigh of relief when New Jersey’s highest court released its decision today in Morristown Associates v. Grant Oil Co., — NJ — (2015), where it held that the state’s general six-year statute of limitations is not applicable to private “contribution” lawsuits Read More
Read MoreGasoline Station Owner Not Liable for Damage to Neighbor Who Did Not Properly Allege Harm A property owner whose investment property was contaminated by a leaking gasoline station next door had his property damage case dismissed because he failed to completely allege all of his damages at the trial court. The case, Favorito v. Puritan Read More
Read MoreNJ High Court to Decide if 6 Year Statute of Limitation Applies to Environmental Cleanup Cost Recovery Claim Under the Spill Act On October 6, 2014, the Supreme Court of New Jersey will be hearing oral argument in Morristown Assoc. v Grant Oil Co., 432 N.J.Super 287 (App. Div. 2013), a case involving the statute Read More
Read MoreSets New Environmental Law Precedent New Jersey’s highest court has ruled that in private contribution claims arising under the Spill Act, “a party determined to be a discharger and held responsible for the cost of cleanup by the DEP is entitled to bring a contribution claim against other potentially responsible parties before the final tally Read More
Read MoreEarlier this month, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Shipp ruled that lead smelting company NL Industries (formerly National Lead) may maintain an action against over two dozen defendants for contribution relating to the clean-up of the Raritan Bay Slag Superfund site. The site in question includes the Laurence Harbor seawall adjacent to Waterfront Park in Read More
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