Judge OKs big sale of water from farmers to San Diego County

A Sacramento Superior Court judge has OK’d what is said to be the nation’s largest ever sale of water from farms to cities, granting the wish of farmers from California’s Imperial Valley to sell some of their allotment of the Colorado River’s flow to increasingly thirsty San Diego County, the…

Aug 2, 2013 9:07 PM CDT

It’s for your own good

Aug 1, 2013 6:10 AM CDT

Decades after Vietnam War, dealing with Agent Orange is still on US lawmakers’ agenda

Residents of Vietnam, like American soldiers, apparently have been adversely affected by some 20 million gallons of Agent Orange used there by the U.S. Air Force as a defoliant before the Vietnam War ended in 1975. But while the U.S. has spent billions in medical costs and disability benefits concerning…

Jul 24, 2013 9:20 PM CDT

Man ticketed for picking dandelions forced to pay $75 fine

An elderly Chicago area man whose $75 ticket for picking dandelions for food drew international attention was left angry and embarrassed this week after he was forced to pay the fine. John Taris, who lives with his wife on a fixed income, said the fine for foraging in a Cook…

Jul 12, 2013 5:07 PM CDT

Appeals court disqualifies BigLaw firm in big enviro case, says it can’t simply switch sides

Agreeing with a Minnesota trial judge who found a conflict of interest with a former Covington & Burling client could not be waived, a state appeals court has upheld its disqualification of the law firm from representing the state in a big environmental case against 3M Co. Although Covington argued,…

Jul 1, 2013 7:14 PM CDT

How many barrels of oil were spilled in BP’s Gulf well? Judge must decide

The federal judge presiding overseeing the civil bench trial concerning the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is now faced with a problem almost as daunting as the cleanup: He must decide how much crude oil flowed into the sea during the 86 days before the well was…

Jun 28, 2013 7:42 PM CDT

With $1B fee unpaid, plaintiff lawyer who won $18B enviro case is now pro se against Chevron

Attorney Steven Donziger could earn $1 billion, his opposing counsel says, if an $18 billion foreign judgment against Chevron Corp. concerning environmental damage in Ecuador is upheld. Meanwhile, Donziger is unable to afford to pay his own counsel as Chevron continues with a bruising U.S. district court counterattack against the…

May 6, 2013 8:15 PM CDT

Fertilizer explosion caused some $100M in damage; plant had ‘pathetic’ $1M in insurance

As state and federal officials look into an apparent lack of regulatory scrutiny of a Texas fertilizer facility that exploded in a fiery blast last month, killing 15 people and injuring another 200, a further issue has come to the attention of outside lawyers representing victims of the disaster. The…

May 6, 2013 5:15 PM CDT

Could better regulatory enforcement have prevented deadly Texas fertilizer plant explosion?

Updated: As responders continue searching for more survivors in the decimated remains of a Texas fertilizer plant and its surrounding neighborhood after a Wednesday night explosion, authorities have recovered 12 bodies and say more than 200 people were injured by the blast, according to the Associated Press and Fox News.…

Apr 19, 2013 6:02 PM CDT

Fatal fertilizer plant blast a ‘nightmare scenario’; Texas plant told EPA explosion could not occur

An explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant Wednesday night could be heard at least 45 miles away, causing massive damage and killing and injuring an unknown number of people in and around the small farming town of West. Officials estimate that up to 15 people have been killed, although a…

Apr 18, 2013 6:46 PM CDT

Lawyer’s $236M verdict against ExxonMobil isn’t her first big win

The lead lawyer who obtained a $236 million verdict against ExxonMobil in a groundwater contamination case last week had another high-profile win in 2005 against Wal-Mart. Being a lawyer was a childhood dream for 44-year-old Jessica Grant, who used to play make-believe court in her bedroom when she was 11…

Apr 16, 2013 10:35 AM CDT

Did man’s frog phobia help him win $1.6 million verdict in land-runoff case?

Nobody knows for sure how much Paul Marinaccio’s testimony about his frog phobia may have upped the ante in a $1.6 million jury award over a land runoff case. However, the 65-year-old’s detailed explanation of how “petrified” he is by the small creatures now proliferating on his property wasn’t enough…

Apr 9, 2013 5:30 PM CDT

Booted from big enviro case, Covington blames ex-client for not protesting conflict earlier

A Minnesota judge last year agreed with 3M Co. that its longtime counsel, Covington & Burling, could not continue to represent the state in a big environmental lawsuit against the corporation. But even if a legal ethics rule would otherwise have prohibited the representation, Covington should be allowed to continue…

Apr 5, 2013 9:36 PM CDT

Scalia’s dissent: ‘For no good reason,’ courts are deferring to federal agency interpretations

The U.S. Supreme Court is siding with the Environmental Protection Agency—and the timber industry—in a decision holding that timber companies don’t have to obtain Clean Water Act permits to channel stormwater runoff from logging roads. The court ruled in a 7-1 decision (PDF) finding that the EPA’s interpretation of its…

Mar 20, 2013 4:11 PM CDT

Federal judge sides with whooping cranes in water rights case

A federal judge has ordered Texas officials to put the needs of an endangered flock of whooping cranes first when determining whether to grant water-use permits to new users. The Corpus Christi Caller-Times provides a link to Monday’s 124-page opinion (PDF) by Senior U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack. She…

Mar 13, 2013 8:00 PM CDT