Paladin Law Group a boutique multidisciplinary environmental and sustainability firm

Time 2020-10-22 18:04:15

Web Name: Paladin Law Group a boutique multidisciplinary environmental and sustainability firm

WebSite: http://www.paladinlaw.com

ID:90842

Keywords:

Group,boutique,Paladin,

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California City Succeeds in Establishing Joint and Several Liability Under CERCLA Court Rejects Defendants Divisibility DefenseThe City of West Sacramento filed a lawsuit under RCRA, CERCLA, the Gatto Act, and several other state law causes of action to address toxic levels of soil and groundwater contamination resulting from the release of hazardous substances at a property once occupied by a metal plating facility. The Court found the defendants liable after the City filed a motion for summary judgment. It also held, however, that the defendants were entitled to an evidentiary hearing on their divisibility defense to joint and several liability on the CERCLA claim. Following three days of testimony and evidence, the Court found that the former operators of a chrome plating facility did not meet their burden to prove their divisibility defense under CERCLA. Accordingly, the Court held each of the defendants jointly and severally liable for the entirety of the harm (i.e., each defendant is responsible for 100% of the harm). To read more, click here.Court of Appeal affirms denial of anti-SLAPP motion in a published decisionPaladin Law Group recently prevailed in the California Court of Appeal against an anti-SLAPP motion brought in an insurance coverage action. “SLAPP” is an acronym for strategic lawsuit against public participation and in California, as in many states, there are procedures that allow defendants to bring a special motion to strike such suits. Zurich brought such a motion after it was sued by its insureds for bad faith and breach of its duty to defend. The trial court denied the motion, Zurich appealed, and the California Court of Appeal for First Appellate District Court affirmed the trial court’s denial of the motion and remanded the case back to the trial court in a published opinion.  See Miller v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co., No. A155398, 2019 WL 5304862, 2019 Cal. App. LEXIS 1036 (Ct. App. Oct. 21, 2019).Paladin says Aloha at the International Network of Environmental Forensics ConferenceBret Stone discussed environmental litigation regarding PFAS during the plenary session of the International Network of Environmental Forensics Conference at the University of Hawaii.  The panel discussion included toxicology and screening levels for PFAS, the impact of PFAS in oceans, how water purveyors are reacting to the increasingly stringent PFAS regulations, litigation risks, and the insurance industry reactions to potential PFAS liabilities. For more information about the conference, click here.Paladin speaks at Center for Creative Land Recycling ConferencePaladin was featured at a Brownfields conference organized by the Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR), which brought together experts from around the country to speak about cutting-edge topics in Brownfields redevelopment. Jon’s well-received presentation focused on how the legal environment contributes to the creation of Brownfields, along with several legal strategies for how to put those Brownfields back in to productive use. CCLR posted the slides from the presentation here.Settlement Reached with ChevronRepresenting a developer that purchased property that had been a Standard Oil bulk fuel storage facility for seventy years starting in the 1900s, Paladin negotiated an out-of-court resolution of claims for assessment and remediation of soil and groundwater contamination.CLRRA Signed for Redevelopment ProjectPaladin Law Group recently completed a successful transaction for a Brownfields redeveloper that included immunity protections under the California Land Reuse and Revitalization Act ( CLRRA ).  In the agreement reached with the Regional Water Quality Control Board ( RWQCB ), the buyer obtained immunity for a site that had been the subject of a Cleanup and Abatement Order and litigation in state and federal courts.  Ten separate environmental consulting firms worked on the site for years prior to the CLRRA agreement without a remedial action plan.  Under the CLRRA consultative services process, the buyer worked with the RWQCB to prepare an acceptable response plan to address contamination at the site.Stone Named as Who s Who in Energy EnvironmentBret Stone was recognized for his work in environmental law by the Pacific Coast Business Times.Paladin Settles Dry Cleaning Contamination CaseAfter years of litigation with the former owners and operators of a dry cleaning plant and their insurers, a highly contested and complex environmental contamination case has finally come to a close.  Paladin s insurance archaeology efforts identified the historic insurance assets.  Extensive investigation activities ensued and, once the parties were comfortable with the total cost of cleanup, a settlement was reached providing sufficient funds for the cleanup.Stone Featured at Groundwater Law ConferenceBret Stone was part of panel on Strategies to Address Major Groundwater Contaminant Plumes at the upcoming Groundwater Law Conference at Loyola Law School.  For more information, click here.Court Holds Insurer has Duty to Defend in Rev 973 CaseOne of Paladin s policyholder clients obtained a ruling in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California held that Wilshire Insurance Company has a duty to defend a lawsuit entitled, Rev 973, LLC v. Mouren-Laurens et al., CV 98-10690-DSF (Ex), alleging liability against thousands of potentially responsible parties for environmental contamination.  Wilshire had argued that there could be no potential for coverage and thus no duty to defend its insured because the claims asserted against him do not allege an “accident” as required by the policies and are excluded from coverage by the qualified pollution and the handling of property exclusions contained in the policies.  The court rejected these arguments.  To read more, click here.Pro Bono Brownfields Deal Closes for Bike CoalitionLong-time bike commuter, Bret Stone, provided pro bono legal support to help the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition purchase the property that houses its community cycling center and DIY bike repair shop.  The Brownfields site had been contaminated by historic dry cleaning operations.  Stone negotiated the transaction and related environmental protections to a successful close.  To read the article in the Santa Barbara Independent, click here.John Till Featured at Environmental Law Section SeminarPaladin Managing Partner, John Till, led a discussion regarding the implementation of AB 440 legislation to redevelop contaminated properties in urban blighted areas.  The Sacramento County Bar Association Environmental Law Section underwrote the event.Paladin Featured in Stormwater WebinarPaladin was featured speaker in a webinar entitled “Managing Risk Amid Changing Storm Water Regulations.”  Topics covered included an exploration of evolving compliance requirements related to updated Municipal (MS4), Industrial, and Construction General Storm Water Permits and best practices for managing risk.Paladin wins Climate Leader AwardPaladin Law Group is proud to announce that the California Air Resources Board has recognized it with a Climate Leader Award.  The CoolCalifornia Small Business Awards recognize California small businesses that took action to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, promoted climate friendly practices and integrated the tools on CoolCalifornia.org into their business operations.  For more information about CoolCalifornia.org, click here.

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