Title: Yasmine Clark v. American Cyanamid Company

State: wisconsin

Issuer: Wisconsin Supreme Court

Document:

2016 WI 24 
 
SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN 
 
 
 
 
 
CASE NO.: 
2014AP775 
COMPLETE TITLE: 
Yasmine Clark a Minor, by her Guardian ad Litem, 
Susan M. Gramling, 
          Plaintiff-Respondent, 
     v. 
American Cyanamid Company, Armstrong Containers. 
Inc., E.I. Dupont De Nemours and Company, 
Atlantic Richfield Company and The Sherwin-
Williams Company, 
          Defendants-Appellants, 
Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human 
Services and NL Industries, Inc., 
          Defendants. 
 
 
 
 
ON CERTIFICATION FROM THE COURT OF APPEALS 
 
 
OPINION FILED: 
April 15, 2016 
SUBMITTED ON BRIEFS: 
        
ORAL ARGUMENT: 
April 5, 2016 
 
 
SOURCE OF APPEAL: 
 
 
COURT: 
Circuit 
 
COUNTY: 
Milwaukee 
 
JUDGE: 
David A. Hansher 
 
 
 
JUSTICES: 
 
 
CONCURRED: 
      
 
DISSENTED: 
      
 
NOT PARTICIPATING: BRADLEY, R. G., J. did not participate.    
 
 
 
ATTORNEYS: 
 
For the defendants-appellants, there were briefs by Jeffrey 
K. Spoerk, James E. Goldschmidt and Quarles & Brady LLP, 
Milwaukee, and Leon F. DeJulius, Jr., Charles H. Moellenberg, 
Jr. and Jones Day, Pittsburgh, PA.  Oral argument by Leon F. 
DeJulius, Jr. 
 
 
For the plaintiff-respondent, there was a brief by Peter G. 
Earle and the Law Office of Peter Earle, LLC, Milwaukee and 
Jonathan Orent, Fidelma Fitzpatrick and Motely Rice, LLC, 
 
 
2 
Providence, RI, and oral argument by Peter G. Earle and Fidelma 
Fitzpatrick. 
 
 
There was an amicus curiae brief by Brad Schimel, attorney 
general, Misha Tseytlin, solicitor general, Luke N. Berg, deputy 
solicitor general and Amy C. Miller, staff attorney, and the 
Wisconsin Department of Justice.  Oral Argument by Luke N. Berg 
for the defendants-appellants.   
 
 
 
 
 
 
2016 WI 24
NOTICE 
This opinion is subject to further 
editing and modification.  The final 
version will appear in the bound 
volume of the official reports.   
No.  2014AP775 
(L.C. No. 
2006CV012653) 
STATE OF WISCONSIN  
 
 
   : 
IN SUPREME COURT 
 
 
Yasmine Clark a Minor, by her Guardian ad 
Litem, Susan M. Gramling, 
 
          Plaintiff-Respondent, 
 
     v. 
 
American Cyanamid Company, Armstrong 
Containers. Inc., E.I. Dupont De Nemours and 
Company, Atlantic Richfield  
 
Company and The Sherwin-Williams Company, 
 
          Defendants-Appellants, 
 
Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human 
Services and NL Industries, Inc., 
 
          Defendants. 
 
 
 
FILED 
 
APR 15, 2016 
 
Diane M. Fremgen 
Clerk of Supreme Court 
 
 
 
 
APPEAL from an order of the Circuit Court for Milwaukee 
County, David. A. Hansher, Judge.  Order granting certification 
vacated and cause remanded to the Court of Appeals.   
 
¶1 
PER CURIAM.   The court is equally divided on whether 
to affirm or reverse the decision of the circuit court for 
No. 
2014AP775   
 
2 
 
Milwaukee County. Chief Justice Patience Drake Roggensack, 
Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson, and Justice Ann Walsh Bradley 
would 
affirm. 
Justice 
David 
T. 
Prosser, 
Justice 
Annette 
Kingsland Ziegler, and Justice Michael J. Gableman would 
reverse. Justice Rebecca G. Bradley did not participate. 
¶2 
This court accepted jurisdiction over this appeal upon 
certification by the court of appeals. Wis. Stat. § 809.61 
(2013-14) ("The supreme court may take jurisdiction of an appeal 
or other proceeding in the court of appeals upon certification 
by the court of appeals or upon the supreme court's own 
motion."). We have often stated that when a tie vote occurs in 
this court on a bypass or certification, "justice is better 
served in such an instance by remanding to the court of appeals 
for their consideration." New Richmond News v. City of New 
Richmond, 2015 WI 106, ¶2, 365 Wis. 2d 610, 875 N.W.2d 107 (per 
curiam) 
(quoting 
State 
v. 
Richard 
Knutson, 
Inc., 
191 
Wis. 2d 395, 
396-97, 
528 
N.W.2d 430 
(1995) 
(per 
curiam) 
(remanding to court of appeals on a tie vote on certification)). 
¶3 
Accordingly, 
we 
vacate 
our 
order 
granting 
certification and remand to the court of appeals. 
 
By the Court.—The order granting certification is vacated 
and the cause is remanded to the court of appeals. 
¶4 
REBECCA G. BRADLEY, J., did not participate. 
 
No. 
2014AP775   
 
 
 
1