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ENVIRONMENTAL LITIGATION
Environmental litigation is a rapidly growing practice at Betts, Patterson & Mines. We handle major cases involving toxic waste disposal and cleanup, including Superfund cases in the Pacific Northwest. These cases involve tremendous potential liability and often present unique problems and risks to manufacturers, business owners, lenders, and insurance companies.
Environmental litigation ases handled by our attorneys include:
- A cleanup action involving the Coal Creek Site, the firm represented the owner and operator of the site. The company’s exposure to claims by the Environmental Protection Agency and the State Department of Ecology was resolved by a favorable settlement.
- Representing a transporter of waste to the Western Processing Superfund Site. We settled the contribution claims asserted by other potentially responsible parties about surface cleanup at the site, and we are now defending the company against the subsurface cleanup contribution claims. We have been successful in obtaining two partial summary judgments that will significantly reduce the transporter’s exposure at trial.
- Defending a pesticide manufacturer in a cleanup action brought by the State of Washington as a result of the use of the company’s pesticides for agricultural purposes. The State sought to recover costs incurred for remedial action at four identified sites where ethylene dibromide was found in the groundwater and to compel an investigation and remedial measures at some 30 additional sites where the pesticide had been used. We were successful in obtaining a partial summary judgment dismissing the State’s claims at the additional sites. The remedial action claims at the four identified sites where ethylene dibromide was found have recently been resolved by a favorable settlement.
- Representing a number of present and prior property owners, including a major oil company and a large local cleaning establishment, which have been sued for hazardous waste remediation costs. In these cases, we have focused our efforts on early and efficient resolution through alternative dispute resolution. Our clients have been pleased with both the settlement results and the cost-effectiveness of our approach.
- Defended a wide variety of claims for exposure to hazardous gases, including chlorine, chlorine dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. These claims have been successfully resolved either through establishing that there was in fact no injury, or that there was substantial comparative negligence because of failure to use safety equipment.
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