Source: http://www.insurancejournal.com, February 23, 2015 By: Michael Biesecker and Mitch Weiss Federal prosecutors filed multiple criminal charges against Duke Energy on Friday over years of illegal pollution leaking from coal ash dumps at five North Carolina power plants. The three U.S. Attorney’s Offices covering the state charged Duke with nine misdemeanor counts involving violations of […]

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com, February 23, 2015 By: Tony Hernandez The jury trial continues Monday in the Multnomah County lawsuit against the companies that installed faulty decking on the Morrison Bridge. Millions of dollars are at stake as county officials and their consultants research the cost of replacing the polymer decking installed in March 2012. The decking […]

Source: http://www.chron.com, February 20, 2015 By: Matthew Tresaugue Attorneys for Harris County have asked for a new trial in the legal fight over industrial pollution in the San Jacinto River, saying the judge made numerous errors that prevented them from getting a fair hearing on their claims. The motion for a new trial, filed this […]

Source: http://www.northjersey.com, February 22, 2015 By: Scott Fallon A pilot study using vegetable oil to remove cancer-causing chromium that has sat under a Garfield neighborhood for three decades has produced mixed results, leaving scientists unsure of how to clean up the contaminated groundwater. The lack of success in reducing the highest concentrations of hexavalent chromium […]

Source: http://enr.construction.com, February 18, 2015 By: Tim Grogan In mid-January, the Ohio Second Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling against NBBJ regarding a dispute between the architect and Miami Valley Hospital and its corporate arm devoted to the health-care sector, Premier Health Partners. At issue was financial responsibility for a 2011 outbreak of […]

Source: http://www.npr.org, February 19, 2015 It’s a painful time to be in the oil business. With the price of crude oil about half what it was six months ago, companies large and small are being pressured to cut costs. On the front lines are oil services companies that do everything from drilling to providing electrical […]

Source: http://www.insurancejournal.com, February 20, 2015 By: Patrick Rucker Federal investigators will examine whether pressurized gas played a role in the massive blast that followed the derailment of a train carrying crude oil through West Virginia this week, the U.S. Transportation Department said on Thursday. Questioning the possible role of gas vapors in the West Virginia […]

Source: http://www.wtvy.com, February 19, 2015 What is a construction defect? A house is generally a homeowners’ single most valuable financial investment and one of the most important emotional investments. To them it is more than bricks and mortar; it is the place where they live, rest, and raise their families. Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of […]

Source: http://www.lexology.com, February 18, 2015 By: Gregory D. Hagen, Edward P. Garson , John R. Clifford and Ian A. Stewart, Wilson Elser On January 22, 2015, the Fourth District Court of Appeals issued for publication its decision in McMillin Companies LLC v. American Safety Indemnity Company, 4th Dist. Div. 1, D063586. The case is significant […]

Source: http://www.globest.com, February 2, 2015 By: John Insall As the economy continued to pick up steam in 2014, merger and acquisition rates rose strongly.  Forbes went as far as to label activity in the 2014 M&A market a “frenzy”!  These take-over deals involve extensive legal and financial due diligence, but there are significant environmental liability […]

Source: http://www.ctlawtribune.com, February 16, 2015 By: Christina M. Lopez Parties often haggle over what substances are considered pollutants Insurers have had no problem arguing that almost anything can be a pollutant when seeking to disclaim coverage on the basis of the “absolute pollution exclusion” contained in general liability policies. However, they do not take such […]

Source: http://www.chicoer.com, February 17, 2015 By: Ian Bauer A San Francisco law firm’s prior class-action lawsuit over odors allegedly emanating from the Newby Island Landfill and Resource Recovery Park on the Milpitas-San Jose border has stalled, after a judge ruled the existing suit was legally insufficient as presented to the court. In 2012, the Evans […]