In a case that may have implications for fracking operations, a federal district court for the western district of Virginia allowed property damage claims to proceed against a coalbed methane operator. In C.J. Ritter Lumber Co., Inc. v Consolidated Coal Co., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 95131 (W.D. Va. 8/25/11), the plaintiff entered into coal leases […]
Claims Against Coalbed Methane Operator Allowed to Proceed Read More »
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 »
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 »
Buyer agreed to purchase former oil field in 1996 to develop for residential complex. Contract included 40 pages detailing remedial obligations of parties. Buyer had five years to complete investigate of property and inform seller of contamination. If cleanup exceeded $30MM, seller could take over cleanup. Contract also provided that after completion of sellers’ corrective
Earlier this year, I discussed the BNY Mellon v Morgan Stanley Mortgage Corp where the defendant/mortgage originator has been sued by the CMBS trust for a $80MM shopping center loan where methane gas issues led to a default. See detailed post at: http://lschnapf.blogspot.com/2011/07/cmbs-lender-kept-in-case-over-questions.html Now we have another case involving a $35MM development loan where a
$35MM Landfill Brownfield Project Derailed By Methane Gas Read More »