The title of this post sounds like a teaser to a bad joke but unfortunately it refers to the latest round of motions in two sprawling lawsuits involving a defunct planned community that was to be developed on what proved to be a part of a world war 2 bombing practice range. The defendants include […]
A Lawyer, an Underwriter and an Appraisor-An Update Read More »
The New York State Court of Appeals (New York’s highest court) rejected a challenge that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) exceeded its authority when it promulgated regulations requiring state superfund sites to be remediated to “pre-disposal” conditions when feasible. In the Matter of New York State Superfund Coalition v New York
NY High Court Upholds State Superfund Regs Read More »
When retaining environmental consultants, one of the key issues to review in the consultant’s standard terms and conditions is the limitation of liability (LOL) clause. This clause frequently seeks to cap the consultant’s liability at the amount of its fees. Because consultants are usually expected to carry at least $1MM in liability coverage, clients often want consultants to be liable
Ct Upholds Limitation of Liability in Consultant Negligence Case Read More »
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York dismissed a cost recovery action filed by the State of New York because the state waited too long to file its complaint. The outcome hinged on whether construction of wellhead treatment constituted a remedial action or removal action. This case is significant because New York
Federal Ct Says NY Waited Too Long to File Cost Recovery Read More »
In most wetlands cases, landowners are challenging determinations by the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) that wetlands are present on their property. However, in Deerfield Plantation Phase II-B Property Owners Association v Army Corps of Engineers , 2011 U.S.Dist. LEXIS 75766 (D.S.C. 7/12/11), the plaintiffs argued that the Corps improperly determined that only a fraction of
An Unusual Wetlands Case Read More »
We have been sharing and commenting on articles discussing how lenders are becoming increasingly concerned about borrowers who lease their property to allow hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”). The operations permitted by the leases on what is typically rural or agricultural land include storage of hazardous substances and wastewater that likely would constitute defaults under the mortgages.
Why Property Owners Should Consult Lawyers Before Signing Gas Leases Read More »
In Sunrise Harbor Realty LLC v 35th Sunrise Corp, 2011 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 5834 (App. Div-2nd Dept 7/12/11), the plaintiff owned a commercial building in Copiague, New York. The plaintiff contemplated purchasing the adjacent property that contained a gas station to expand its building. A phase 2 detected petroleum-contaminated groundwater migrating onto the plaintiff
New Damages Trial Ordered For Vapor Intrusion Read More »
In Weiden Lake Property Owners Association, Inc. v Jeff A. Klansky and Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation, 2011 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 4081 (Sup Ct-Sullivan Cty 8/18/11), a New York state court ruled that a property owner was barred from leasing his property for natural gas and exploration because those activities were barred by restrictive covenants
Ct Rules Fracking Barred by Subdivision Covenants Read More »
Shareholder Representative Services (SRS) recently issued the results of its M&A Deal Terms Study covering 196 private-target acquisition agreements. The deals closed between July 2010 and September 2011. The 2011 study compares results against an earlier study that encompassed deals from July 2007 to July 2010. Some of the interesting findings are: use of escrows
Study Analyzes Trends In Key Terms in M&A Deals Read More »
In US v Donovan, 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 22026 (3rd Cir. 10/31/11) this case, appellant Donovan owned a four-acre parcel situated within the watershed of the Sawmill Branch. Water from stream channels on the property flowed into the Sawmill Branch which was a navigable water. The Branch then flowed into the navigableSmyrnaRiver which was connected
Third Circuit Upholds Corps Wetlands Determination Read More »