Source: http://nj.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.20030916_0000704.C03.htm/qx
Timestamp: 2018-01-19 03:30:41
Document Index: 634025023

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 9601', '§ 1', '§ 6901', '§ 9607', '§ 1331', '§ 9613', '§ 1367', '§ 1291']

MORTON INTERNATIONAL, INC.; VELSICOL CHEMICAL CORPORATION; NWI LAND MANAGEMENT CO.; FRUIT OF THE LOOM, INCORPORATED,
A.E. STALEY MANUFACTURING COMPANY; AIRCO INDUSTRIAL GASES, A/K/A AIR REDUCTION COMPANY, INC., F/K/A AIRCO, INC.; ALLIED CHEMICAL CORPORATION; ALUMINUM COMPANY OF AMERICA (ALCOA); AMERICAN CYANAMID COMPANY; ARMSTRONG WORLD INDUSTRIES, INC.; ARSYNCO, INC.; BAILEY CONTROLS CO., F/K/A BAILEY METER COMPANY; BECTON-DICKINSON & CO., INC.; BELFORT INSTRUMENT CO.; BELMONT METALS, INC., F/K/A BELMONT SMELTING & REFINING WORKS, INC.; CANADIAN GYPSUM COMPANY, LTD.; CANRAD, INC., (C/O CANRAD PRECISION INDUSTRIES, INC.); CIBA-GEIGY CORPORATION; COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY; CONOPCO, INC., (CHEESEBOROUGH PONDS U.S.A. CO. DIVISION); COSAN CHEMICAL CORP.; CROUSE HINDS SEPCO CORPORATION, F/K/A CONNECTICUT INTERNATIONAL; CROWN ZELLERBACH CORP., A/K/A JAMES RIVER CORPORATION OF NEVADA; CURTISS-WRIGHT; D.F. GOLDSMITH CHEMICAL & METAL CORPORATION; DAY & BALDWIN, F/K/A C-P PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.; DIAMOND SHAMROCK CHEMICALS COMPANY, A/K/A OCCIDENTAL ELECTROCHEMICALS CORPORATION; DOW-CORNING CORPORATION; DURA ELECTRIC LAMP CO., INC.; DURACELL, INC., (AS SUCCESSOR TO MALLORY BATTERY CO., INC.); E.I. DUPONT DE NEMOURS & CO.; EASTERN SMELTING & REFINING CORP.; EAGLEHARD MINERALS AND CHEMICALS CORPORATION; ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL SYSTEMS; EXXON CORPORATION; FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION; GARFIELD BARING CORPORATION, F/K/A GARFIELD SMELTING & REFINING CO.; GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY; GENERAL COLOR CO., INC.; GENERAL SIGNAL CORPORATION; GILMARTIN INSTRUMENT CO.; HARTFORD ELECTRIC SUPPLY COMPANY, INC.; HENKEL CORPORATION; HOFFMAN-LAROUCHE, INC.; HUDSAR, INCORPORATED; INMAR ASSOCIATES, INC.; INMAR REALTY, INC.; INTERNATIONAL NICKEL, INC.; J.M. NEY COMPANY; K.E.M. CHEMICAL COMPANY; KOPPERS, A/K/A BEAZER EAST, INC.; MAGNESIUM ELEKTRON, INC.; MARVIN H. MAHAN; MALLINCKRODT CHEMICAL, INC.; MARISOL, INC.; MERCK & CO., INC.; MERCURY ENTERPRISE, INC., F/K/A MERCURY INSTRUMENT SERVICE; MINNESOTA MINING AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY; MOBIL OIL CORPORATION; MT. UNION COLLEGE; M.W. KELLOGG CO.; NATIONAL LEAD COMPANY, (GOLDSMITH BROTHERS DIVISION); NEPERA, INC.; NEW ENGLAND LAMINATES CO., INC.; NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, F/K/A NEWARK COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING; NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT AUTHORITY; NORTHEAST CHEMICAL CO., (NORTHEAST CHEMICAL & INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY CO., INC.); OCCIDENTAL CHEMICAL CORPORATION, (AS SUCCESSOR TO DIAMOND SHAMROCK CHEMICAL CO., FORMERLY DIAMOND SHAMROCK CORPORATION); OLIN CORPORATION, F/K/A OLIN MATHIESON CHEMICAL CORPORATION; PEASE & CURREN, INC.; PFIZER, INC.; PSG INDUSTRIES, INC., F/K/A PHILADELPHIA SCIENTIFIC GLASS, INC.; PHILLIPS & JACOBS, INC.; PUBLIC SERVICE ELECTRIC & GAS, (PSE&G); PURE LAB OF AMERICA; RANDOLPH PRODUCTS COMPANY; RAY-O-VAC DIVISION OF ESB, INC., (ESB, INC.); REDLAND MINERALS LIMITED; RHONE-POULENC, INC., F/K/A ALCOLAC CHEMICAL COMPANY/GUARD CHEMICAL COMPANY; ROYCE ASSOCIATES, F/K/A ROYCE CHEMICAL; RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY; SCIENTIFIC CHEMICAL PROCESSING, INC.; SCIENTIFIC CHEMICAL TREATMENT CO., INC.; SCIENTIFIC, INC.; SEAFORTH MINERAL & ORE CO.; SPARROW REALTY, INC.; STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO, (S.U.N.Y.A.B.); SYLVANIA/GTE; TENNECO, INC.; TRANSTECH INDUSTRIES, INC.; UEHLING INSTRUMENT CO., INC.; UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION; UNIVERSAL OIL PRODUCTS CO.; UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS; UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA; VAR-LAC-OID CHEMICAL COMPANY, INC.; W.A. BAUM CO., INC.; WAGNER ELECTRIC COMPANY; WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY; WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC CORPORATION; JOHN DOE 1-100; GEROLD C. THOMPSON, ESQ.; GEORGE VAN CLEVE, ESQ.; THE CONNECTICUT LIGHT AND POWER COMPANY, F/K/A HARTFORD ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY; GTE OPERATIONS SUPPORT INCORPORATED; ALLIEDSIGNAL, INC.; BEAZER EAST, INC.; JERSEY CITY MANAGEMENT, INC.; MICHAEL RODBURG, SITE DEFENDANTS LIASION COUNSEL; ASHLAND CHEMICAL CO., A DIVISION OF ASHLAND OIL, INC.; BASF CORPORATION, AND AS SUCCESSOR TO WYANDOTTE CHEMICAL CORP., A/K/A INMONT CORPORATION; FMC CORPORATION MORTON INTERNATIONAL, INC., APPELLANT
On Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey District Court Judge: Honorable Katherine S. Hayden (D.C. No. 96-cv-03609)
Argued on July 7, 2003
In the 1970's, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection commenced an action against Ventron, Velsicol, and other parties for cleanup and removal of mercury at the Site. Eventually, Velsicol and Morton were held strictly liable, jointly and severally, for the cleanup of the Site, and that judgment was upheld following numerous appeals and successive litigation. See Morton International, Inc. v. General Acc. Ins. Co. of America, 629 A.2d 831, 880 (N.J. 1993) (concluding that Morton's predecessors had intentionally discharged pollutants over a long period of time); State Department of Environmental Protection v. Ventron Corp., 468 A.2d 150, 161-62 (N.J. 1983) (finding defendants violated statute prohibiting the discharge of detrimental material into waters by intentionally permitting mercury-laden effluent to escape onto lands surrounding creek). After the enactment of CERCLA in 1980, and the listing of the Site on the National Priorities List, Morton, as the current owner of the Site, Velsicol, and various other entities were required to perform a remedial investigation/feasibility study for the Site. Since then, Morton has been funding the environmental efforts under various judicial orders.
Morton filed this action in 1996 seeking contribution from Tenneco and numerous other defendants under CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. § 9601 et seq., the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ("RCRA"), Pub. L. No. 94-580, § 1, 90 Stat. 2795 (1976), as amended 42 U.S.C. § 6901 et seq., the Spill Act, N.J.S.A. 58:10-23.11 et seq., and common law.*fn1 Morton argues that the "conversion" or "toll" agreements, whereby the plant processed the customers' PVM into ROM and YOM, and the "dirty mercury" processing agreements render the customerdefendants subject to CERCLA liability as "arrangers" under Section 107(a)(3), 42 U.S.C. § 9607(a)(3). Morton is trying to recover from other allegedly responsible parties some of the costs it has incurred and will continue to incur to clean up the Site.
Tenneco and the other defendants refuse to share responsibility for the cleanup costs. The defendants argue that Morton's characterization of the PVM transactions is inaccurate; these transactions were nothing more than straight purchases of finished products (ROM and YOM), which do not expose them to CERCLA liability. On April 11, 2000, Tenneco and the other defendants moved for summary judgment in an omnibus motion. The District Court denied their motion with respect to the CERCLA, Spill Act, and common law claims because of the varying, complex fact patterns and material factual disputes with respect to each defendant. The District Court granted the defendants' motion to dismiss Morton's RCRA claim.*fn2
The District Court had jurisdiction over Morton's federal claims pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1331 and 42 U.S.C. § 9613. The District Court exercised pendent jurisdiction over Morton's state law claim pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1367. We have jurisdiction to hear this appeal from the final order of the District Court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291.*fn3
The District Court has asked us to "definitively address" the standard for "arranger liability" under CERCLA Section 107(a)(3) in this Circuit in order to properly resolve Morton's contribution claims against Tenneco and the other defendants in this case.*fn4
Congress enacted CERCLA in 1980 "in response to the serious environmental and health risks posed by industrial pollution." United States v. Bestfoods, ...