Environmental
In Roundup Case, U.S. Judge Cuts $2 Billion Verdict Against Bayer to $86 Million
News
A California Superior Court judge in Oakland said the jury’s billion-dollar punitive damages awards were excessive and unconstitutional.
Duke Energy Sued for 2014 Coal Ash Spill Environmental Harm
News
Duke Energy pleaded guilty to federal environmental crimes in 2015 and agreed to pay $102 million.
Environmental Lawyers Probing Water Contamination from ‘Forever Chemicals’
News
Environmental trial lawyers at Dallas-based Fears Nachawati Law Firm are investigating water contamination cases on behalf of states, counties and cities across the nation.
Fracking Companies Lost on Trespassing, But a Court Just Gave Them a Different Win
News
A week after the West Virginia Supreme Court unanimously upheld the property rights of landowners battling one natural gas giant, the same court tossed out a challenge filed by another group of landowners against a different natural gas company.
PG&E Ordered to Prove New Board is Fit to Serve
News
PG&E has seen a cascade of management-level changes following the deadly November 2018 Camp Fire that burned more than 18,000 buildings and ruined the town of Paradise, according to Courthouse News Service.
Groundwater Law Can Bring Some Unwelcome Surprises to Property Owners
Insight
Gray Reed provides some analysis of the state of groundwater law in Texas and discusses some of the effects of a Texas Supreme Court case that should now be a concern to land purchasers in every transaction.
Bayer Bets on ‘Silver Bullet’ Defense in Roundup Litigation; Experts See Hurdles
News
Bayer has a better shot if a business-friendly U.S. Supreme Court takes up the case, experts said.
Judge Orders PG&E Directors to Visit Town Destroyed by Wildfire
News
The judge said he wanted the energy company executives to “see the gravity of what happened up there” and indicated he likely will join the tour.
Outcry Over EPA Proposal to Weaken Standards for Cleanup of ‘Forever Chemicals’
News
The proposal would lower existing requirements for addressing groundwater contamination at military bases where large amounts of contamination have been documented.
Food Regulatory Lawyer Joan Baughan Joins Steptoe
News
Joan Baughan has joined Steptoe & Johnson LLP as a partner based in the Washington office.
Landowners, Energy Companies Seek to Capture Court’s Ruling in Historic Hydraulic Fracking Case
News
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has agreed to hear a case to consider whether the rule of capture applies to hydraulic fracking, reports The Hydraulic Fracking Blog of Norton Rose Fulbright.
Ford Says Feds Have Opened Criminal Probe Into Its Emissions Certifications
News
CNBC is reporting that the Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation in a matter relating to Ford Motor’s emissions certification process.
Haynes and Boone Issues Energy Roundup for Spring 2019
Insight
Haynes and Boone’s Spring 2019 Energy Roundup highlights an evolving United States oil and gas industry responding to recent commodity price volatility, the firm said on its website.
Judge Dismisses Pipeline Operator’s Racketeering/Defamation Suit Against Greenpeace
News
“Posting articles written by people with similar beliefs does not create a RICO enterprise,” a federal judge wrote in his dismissal order.
Appeals Court Allows Quick-Take of Land for Mountain Valley Pipeline
News
Landowners objected to a lower-court ruling granting immediate possession of the disputed land before deciding how much each property owner should be compensated.
Border Wall Needs Private Property. But Some Texans Won’t Give Up Their Land Without a Fight.
News
Previous eminent domain attempts along the Texas border have led to more than a decade of court battles, according to The Washington Post.
Federal Judge Blocks Keystone Pipeline XL in Major Blow to Trump Administration
News
The Washington Post characterized the order as a major defeat for President Trump, who attacked the Obama administration for stopping the project in the face of protests and an environmental impact study.
Former Partner Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Scheme to Bribe Alabama Lawmaker
News
A former partner at Balch & Bingham has been sentenced to five years in prison for a scheme to bribe an Alabama state legislator to oppose expansion of a site designated for an environmental cleanup, reports the ABA Journal.
Energy Attorney Christopher J. Townsend Joins Freeborn
News
Christopher J. Townsend has joined Freeborn & Peters LLP’s Chicago office as a partner and co-leader of the firm’s Environment and Energy Practice Group.
PA Court Rejects Fracking Company’s Appeal In ‘Rule Of Capture’ Decision
News
A Pennsylvania appeals court rejected a request by a natural gas production company to rehear a case whose outcome could affect drillers across the country, reports WSKG.
