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Case ID: 4673 | Environmental | 02/22/2006
After nearly a decade of legal disputes, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. agreed to pay $295 million to settle a series of lawsuits alleging the utility sickened hundreds of people by contaminating the water in three California counties. The settlement, affecting about 1,100 people in Kings, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, moves PG&E closer to resolving a bitter battle that resurrected claims from a similar case made famous in the movie, "Erin Brockovich."
The film, released six years ago, was based on the true story of a woman whose legal crusade ended with PG&E agreeing to a $333 million settlement. About 100 to 150 people still haven't settled, said a PG&E spokesman. The $295 million settlement revolves around lawsuits first filed in 1996 by some of the same attorneys involved in the Brockovich case. The complaints allege PG&E's operations exposed neighboring homes to water contaminated with chromium 6, a possible carcinogen, from the late 1960s through the mid-1980s. In announcing the settlement, PG&E acknowledged that some of its workers learned about the presence of chromium in the water wells during the 1960s, but didn't notify company management nor the affected communities. "Clearly, this situation should never have happened, and we are sorry that it did," PG&E said in a statement. "It is not the way we do business, and we believe it would not happen in our company today." The settlement avoids a Los Angeles Superior Court trial that had been scheduled to begin April 24. The trial threatened to turn into a public relations nightmare for San Francisco-based PG&E, as well as saddle it with a court judgment that dwarfed the $295 million settlement. In the beginning, PG&E didn't envision paying $195 million. In 2001, PG&E had estimated its potential liability in the case at $160 million. The lawyers suing the utility had been seeking more than $500 million in damages. Shortly after filing for Chapter 11 protection in 2001, PG&E unsuccessfully tried to persuade a judge to shift the suits from the state courts to a San Francisco federal court, where the utility's lawyers believed two-thirds of the claims would have been dismissed. At Lawcash.com, it is our goal to keep you informed about important legal cases, class actions and settlements. Our lawyers offer free legal evaluations in tort cases, class actions, personal injury, and other lawsuits because we are dedicated to helping you resolve your legal complaints. Other Environmental Cases of Interest BP, the world’s third-largest publicly traded oil company, announced on August 5, 2006 that it was indefinitely shutting down production of its pipeline in Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay oil field. Diversification of your stock portfolio can’t protect you from inside traders. A class action has been filed against hazardous waste management company Clean Harbors, Inc. (Nasdaq: CLHB) and certain of its officers and directors by stockholders who purchased the company's common stock between November 19, 2002, and August 14, 2003. The actions claim that the defendants violated federal securities laws by issuing a series of material misrepresentations to the market over this time period, thereby artificially inflating the price of the company's securities. Lawyers filed a lawsuit seeking class action status against a Michigan landfill, claiming that waste brought in from Canada is causing harmful odors. The lawsuit claims that area residents have complained the Carleton Farms landfill receives a significant amount of waste from Canada whose noxious and harmful odors interfere with residents` ability to use and enjoy their property. The parties have reached a tentative $65 million settlement in an action filed against Union Pacific Corporation on behalf of thousands of evacuees who were forced to leave their homes in Eunice, Louisiana, after a train derailment on May 27, 2000. Persons eligible to take part in the settlement should contact attorneys for the class for more information. Lawyers plan to seek financial compensation for more than 14 million Americans who paid too much for heating and cooking fuel because British Petroleum (BP) oil compay allegedly manipulated the market for propane. A class action lawsuit has been filed in the state circuit court in Collier County, Florida against Orange Tree Utility Co. The lawsuit is brought on behalf of water customers of Orange Tree in the Naples area, who claim that the water fails to meet safe water standards, has an unpleasant appearance, taste and odor, and may cause health problems. The suit alleges that Orange Tree Utility Co. has consistently ignored consumer complaints about the quality of the water and seeks damages for medical bills, property damage and the cost of extra water filtration devices. |
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