Alec L. v. Perciasepe
A district court denied a motion to reconsider its earlier dismissal of a lawsuit seeking declaratory and injunctive relief based on the federal government's alleged failure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Plaintiffs—five teenage citizens and two environmental groups—argued that each of the ...
Comer v. Murphy Oil USA, Inc.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a lower court decision that the doctrine of res judicata bars individuals' trespass, nuisance, and negligence claims against numerous oil, coal, electric, and chemical companies for damages stemming from Hurricane Katrina. The individuals asserted that the companies' activ...
Duke Energy Progress, Inc. v. Alcan Aluminum Corp.
A district court denied an electric company's motion for reconsideration of a previous ruling that genuine issues of material fact preclude a finding of summary judgment in a contribution case concerning the Ward Transformer Superfund site. The court had issued two orders concerning the site—one i...
United States v. Southern Union Co.
A district court held that community service having a value no more than $500,000 would be an appropriate sentence for a pipeline operator that stored liquid mercury at one of its facilities without a permit. Below, a trial court imposed an $18 million fine against the company, but the sentence was ...