By Stuart Lieberman | Published March 28, 2017 | Posted in Environmental Litigation, Industrial Facilities, Litigation, Spill Compensation and Control Act (Spill Act) | Leave a comment
Search Site
10 Jefferson Plaza, Suite 400 | Princeton, New Jersey 08540
845 Third Avenue, 6th Floor | New York, New York 10022
845 Third Avenue, 6th Floor | New York, New York 10022
Call for a consultation
732-355-1311
Category Archive
Environmental Litigation
State of New Jersey Not Liable for pre-1977 Hazardous Discharges
On March 27, 2017, the New Jersey Supreme Court issued a very important decision concerning Spill Act liability in contribution cases. In the case of NL Industries, Inc. v. State of New Jersey, the Court held that the State is not liable to pay cleanup costs for “pre-Act” discharges, meaning discharges that occurred before the Read More
Read MoreLaches to defeat a private party contribution claim under the Spill Act?
In 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 MoreWhen Remediation Goes Wrong: Appellate Division Says Remedial Efforts May Constitute Evidence Spoliation
In 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 draft settlement is not an executable agreement for parties seeking to settle Natural Resource Damage liability under the Spill Act
The Appellate Division recently handed down its decision in Cumberland Farms, Inc. v. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, et al., holding that no enforceable settlement existed between the two parties with respect to Natural Resource Damage (“NRD”) claims associated with fifty-four sites. Under the Spill Act, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) Read More
Read MoreAppellate Division Sheds Light on Procedural Requirements for Certain Environmental Claims
A 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 Path(way) to Reinvestigation: MassDEP Revisits Closed TCE Sites
The 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 Time Limit to Sue for Environmental Cleanup Costs in New Jersey
No 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 MoreNJDEP Overreached in Seizing "Rotten Egg" Smelling Fenimore Landfill
Appeals Court Overturns NJDEP Seizure of Fenimore Landfill The Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court concluded that the Fenimore Landfill, owned and operated by Strategic Environmental Partners LLC (SEP), should not have been closed and seized by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) just thirty minutes after a new law was passed Read More
Read MoreOil Company Not Liable to Neighbor for Leaking Underground Tanks
Oil Company Not Liable to Neighbor for Leaking Underground Tanks Gasoline 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 Read More
Read More
Our Attorneys
Contact Our Firm
