NM Will Not Consider Helena Chemical Settlement
A noticeably frustrated Ron Curry, cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Environment Department, said Monday that a proposed settlement offer from Helena Chemical Co. for alleged violations at its Mesquite fertilizer plant was not going to be considered in confidential negotiations between the company and environment department. Last week, Helena offered to donate as much […]
Chicago Landlord Sues Ex-Tenant over Tweet Complaining about Apartment
A Chicago corporate landlord has set the Internet world abuzz by suing a former resident for a seemingly offhand remark on Twitter about her “moldy” apartment. The libel suit by Horizon Group Management alleged that Amanda Bonnen “maliciously and wrongfully published the false and defamatory tweet, thereby allowing the tweet to be spread throughout the […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court Backs Paint Companies
Paint manufacturers cannot be held liable for poisoning cases involving lead pigments in paint products, the Wisconsin Supreme Courtruled. The state’s top court said in a 6-0 decision Tuesday the companies cannot face litigation for defectively designing paint products since lead is a characteristic ingredient in such products. “By definition, white lead carbonate pigment contains […]
Lawsuit Targets Chemical Exposure in Iraq
Seven members of the West Virginia Army National Guard are suing a U.S. contractor, alleging they were exposed to harmful chemicals while serving in Iraq. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Sunday the lawsuit filed by seven members of the 1092d Engineer Battalion alleges managers working at an Iraqi water treatment facility operated by the firm KBR […]
Toy Companies Pay Penalty for Violation of Lead Paint Standards
Nine companies have agreed to pay $500,000 in penalties for selling or making products aimed at children with lead paint, U.S. regulators said Tuesday. The products involved include Halloween pails and baskets, jewelry and pens and metal water bottles and pencil pouches, the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission said. They were subject to recalls in […]
3M Pollution Case Heads to the Jury
After more than four years of court motions, 19 days of trial arguments and more than $1 million worth of expert testimony, a suit in which three east metro households are claiming property damage from 3M Co. chemicals in groundwater has gone to the jury. Attorneys for both sides wrapped up their cases in a […]
Homeowners Say 3M Chemicals Have Devalued Property
Three east metro households claimed Monday in a Washington County courtroom that their property values declined by 15 percent because of water contamination from old 3M chemicals. Addressing jurors on the first day of the trial stemming from a lawsuit against 3M Co., attorneys for the homeowners said they will seek a total of more […]
Sleep Number Beds Focus of Lawsuit
Plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit filed in San Jose, Calif., allege a defect in Sleep Number beds can cause them to incubate dangerous mold. Attorney Robert Gagliasso’s law firm is heading up the lawsuit against the makers of the beds, Select Comfort Corp., alleging the company knew of the defect and concealed its existence, the […]
Climate Bill Could Trigger Lawsuit Landslide
Self-proclaimed victims of global warming or those who “expect to suffer” from it — from beachfront property owners to asthmatics — for the first time would be able to sue the federal government or private businesses over greenhouse gas emissions under a little-noticed provision slipped into the House climate bill. Environmentalists say the measure was […]
Modesto Awarded $18M in Groundwater Lawsuit
A San Francisco jury has awarded $18.3 million to Modesto in a long-running lawsuit the city filed 11 years ago against producers of dry cleaning chemicals that leached into soil and polluted groundwater. Modesto intends to put the money away for groundwater cleanup and to pay its attorneys’ fees in the case. The city argues […]