North Tonawanda Residents’ Homes Impacted by Nearby Landfill
Neighbors near the Niagara Sanitation Landfill have said enough is enough. Residents in North Tonawanda unknowingly lived near a significant amount of toxic waste that was removed from the Love Canal dumpsite in the late 1960s and disposed of in their community. Many neighborhood children played on the landfill property where no warning signs were […]
ConocoPhillips to pay $39 million for MTBE case
ConocoPhillips Co. will pay $39 million to settle its part of a long-running lawsuit by New Jersey for environmental damages from groundwater contamination from MTBE. Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is a gasoline additive used as an oxygenate and to raise the octane number. It has polluted groundwater due to MTBE-containing gasoline being spilled or leaked […]
Dow Chemical Loses Key Ruling Related to Statute of Limitations in Dioxin Case
Too often environmental contamination is hidden from those who are most impacted. In many states, the judicial system protects those people by finding that impacted people can bring lawsuits within a certain time from when they knew or should have known of the contamination. Property owners in Michigan won a key decision related to the […]
AT&T Strong-arms Americans with Forced Arbitration
Emboldened by the AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion ruling, AT&T employed its new found immunity from class-action lawsuits to put consumers’ wallets in a tight spot. The 2011 Supreme Court case ruling allowed class action suits to be dismissed on the grounds that contracts of service stipulated use of individual arbitration. This disqualified consumers from collective legal remedies […]
Deaths in Firestone explosion highlight oil and gas risks
When industrial practices encroach on houses, schools, and business (or housing developments encroach on active well sites) it can have horrifying and tragic results. A fatal explosion in Firestone Colorado killed a father of two and his brother-in-law. The wife and one of their children were injured. Investigators found the explosion was caused by a […]
REPORT ON THE HALIBURTON AND TRANSOCEAN BP OIL SPILL PUNITIVE DAMAGE SETTLEMENT
The Settlement Program funded by Transocean and Haliburton is still in the process of being finalized. This program settles all punitive damage claims against these companies. The Claims Administrators recently released a status update, which provides an estimated timeframe as to when these claims will be resolved and paid. It is being called the “New […]
What you need to know about the $151 million water crisis settlement in West Virginia
The 2014 West Virginia water crisis led to a class action lawsuit and an investigation of West Virginia American Water by the Public Service Commission. The case has now settled. If you were impacted, you may be entitled to compensation. What you need to know about the $151 million water crisis settlement: >The class includes […]
West Virginia Supreme Court Case To Decide on Gas and Oil Royalties
The deduction of “post-production expenses” from a mineral owner’s payment can lead to the mineral owner owing the operator money. This has been a hot topic for both oil and gas companies and mineral owners alike. The issue is coming before courts throughout the country. Last November, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals decided […]
Fine for illegal dumping of radioactive waste can’t be wiped out in bankruptcy, state says
The State of Kentucky levied fines of over $8 million dollars against companies involved in the transport or disposal of out-of-state radioactive waste in an Estill County landfill. At least one businessman is seeking to discharge the penalties in bankruptcy. The state is arguing the debtors should be not discharged from any debt that is […]
Americans’ Fears About Water Pollution Hit A 16-Year High
High-profile water pollution cases like the crisis in Flint, Michigan, bring public attention and raise questions nationwide about what chemicals are being pumped into our homes along with our drinking water. This is particularly the case for lower-income and minority Americans living in communities like Flint. The U.S. population appears to be more concerned with […]