When you rely on a vendor to provide your business with a product or service, you develop a relationship. A contract between your vendor and your business establishes and defines that relationship. But when a vendor doesn’t follow through with that contract, they...
Is public nuisance the new environmental legal watchdog?
A company concerned about its exposure to environmental litigation may have to contend with a new legal theory: public nuisance. Traditionally, a toxic tort class-action lawsuit may have been the legal theory claimed against an alleged environmental offender. However,...California water laws took center stage in a recent verdict
Water is the lifeblood of many ecosystems, making it one of the earth’s most precious commodities. Accordingly, local, state, and federal authorities take water quality protection seriously.For example, wastewater from manufacturing or other industrial...California toxic waste lawsuit settles for $10 million
Settlements in environmental litigation don’t come cheaply. In a recent example, O’Reilly Auto Parts has agreed to pay almost $10 million to settle a lawsuit brought by over 50 California district attorneys. The amount includes civil penalties, litigation...Who must pay for hazardous waste cleanup in RCRA litigation?
Valero, a California refining company, has reached a settlement with officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. According to a recent EPA release, Valero will pay a $157,800 fine to settle allegations of improper hazardous waste handling.Valero is a big...Are California lawmakers encouraging environmental litigation?
Environmental litigation can be an important tool for protecting a party’s rights under applicable federal or state statutes. Litigation for its own sake, however, is another matter.Recently, the California legislature approved two bills that have some...Fast-tracking environmental litigation for select developments
Like all legislative bills in California, it is would-be law that must successfully negotiate some hurdles before taking legal effect. Its author hopes it can garner so-called “super-majority” bipartisan support in both the California State Assembly and...Delta tunnel system? Justices give district partial victory
Water concerns are flatly huge and always on the minds of Californians, likely in a way unexperienced by residents of any other state.That is partially attributable, of course, to the state being the most heavily populated in the country. It owes, too, to...The Volkswagen emissions scandal: what’s next?
Most readers of our environmental law blog likely know something about global carmaker Volkswagen’s current financial and reputational woes owing to the company’s huge emissions-related scandal. And there is no doubt at all that they know a great deal...Mr. Caufield Asked To Speak On Expert Panel On Environmental Careers
Mr. Caufield was asked to speak at the UC San Diego Center for Aerosol Impacts on Climate and the Environment national conference to graduate students on post-graduation career paths and opportunities. The career panel included representatives from diverse industries...
