This week, the Supreme Court of the State of Montana took a look at statute of limitations issues in the context of state law claims for trespass and nuisance in contamination cases in the case of Burley v. Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Co., 2012 MT 28 (Feb. 7, 2012).  The issue, which was certified to the Court from the United States District Court for the District of Montana was the following: Read More »

Share | Email| Comments|  Topics: Cleanup, Montana, Nuisance, Real Estate, Statute of Limitations, Toxic Torts, Trespass

We previously reported on Powell v. Tosh, No. 5:09-CV-121-R (W.D. Ky. Oct. 12, 2011), a case in which the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky certified a class action filed on behalf of a group of homeowners for damages allegedly suffered as a result of odors migrating from a nearby hog farm.   As Suzanne suggested in her previous post, Powell quite possibly may have been the first decision granting class certification in an environmental toxic tort case since the Supreme Court’s June 2011 decision in Wal-Mart v. Dukes, 131 S. Ct. 2541 (2011) – a decision that many speculated would be the death knell to class actions in this arena.  Read More »

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In one of the first lawsuits seeking personal injuries and medical monitoring in connection with natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale – one of the largest and most recent natural gas plays in North America – the first blow has been dealt to the plaintiffs, who have been ordered by a Special Master tasked with overseeing discovery to produce all of their medical records to the defendants. Read More »

Share | Email| Comments|  Topics: Cases to Watch, Class Actions, Decisions of Note, Dimock, Marcellus Shale, Medical Monitoring, Oil and Gas, Toxic Torts

Both before and after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, 131 S.Ct. 2451 (2011), removal to federal court under the Class Action Fairness Act (“CAFA”) was a key tool in the arsenal employed by class action defendants, as federal courts have become increasingly more skeptical of certifying classes in toxic tort class actions.  But with many state court procedural rules patterned after their federal counterparts, federal trends can influence state courts, and the recent Louisiana Supreme Court decision in Price v. Roy R. Martin, 2011-C-0853 (Dec. 6, 2011), is a perfect example. Read More »

Share | Email| Comments|  Topics: Certification, Class Actions, Contamination, Decisions of Note, Dukes, Louisiana, Real Estate, Toxic Torts

As mentioned a few months ago, this coming Thursday, December 8, Kate and I will be participating in an ALI-ABA webcast on medical monitoring claims in a Post-Dukesworld.  It’s a great panel including Kate, plaintiff’s attorney Tom Morrone, Former Rohm and Haas associate general counsel Ellen Friedell, and public health expert Dr. Phillip Lewis.   With a variety of different viewpoints and approaches, we’re expecting a lively discussion on both law and policy.  A good opportunity to get in those end-of-the-year CLE hours.  More Details:  ALI-ABA Medical Monitoring Webcast

Share | Email| Comments|  Topics: Class Actions, CLE, Medical Monitoring, Speaking Engagements, Toxic Torts

In light of the recent decisions in Wal-Mart v. Dukes, 131 S.Ct. 2541 (2011) and, thereafter, Gates v. Rohm & Hass Co., 655 F.3d 255 (3rd Cir. 2011), one might have wondered whether there would ever be another federal environmental tort class certified. Well, the wait is over as on October 12, 2011, just such occurred in the Western District of Kentucky. Read More »

Share | Email| Comments|  Topics: Air, Class Actions, Decisions of Note, Farming, Hog Barn, Kentucky, Nuisance, Odors, Toxic Torts, Trespass, Waste

Just a quick note that Kate and I, along with other impressive panelists, are participating in a 2 hour ALI-ABA course in December on medical monitoring claims in a post-Dukes world. Details here: Medical Monitoring And Toxic Tort Claims

Share | Email| Comments|  Topics: Speaking Engagements, Toxic Torts

On September 29^th, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia handed down the first significant ruling of many expected to come out of the Multi-District Litigation involving contaminated drinking water at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base.  Judge J. Owen Forrester, who is presiding over what may end up to be thousands of lawsuits alleging illness or death associated with the tainted water, held that the United States could not rely on North Carolina’s 10-year statute of repose to obtain dismissal of a plaintiff’s claims – even though the contamination occurred well more than 10 years prior to the filing of suit. Read More »

Share | Email| Comments|  Topics: Camp Lejeune, Cases to Watch, CERCLA, Decisions of Note, Multi-District Litigation, Statute of Repose, Tolling, Toxic Torts