Opinion ID: 728910
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Laurel Park and Beacon Heights Combined Claims

Text: 146 There are 27 remaining cases for which a brief explanation follows: 147 . Adams Service Station (Adams): This motorcycle and snowmobile business was managed by Stanley P. Radauskas from 1954 until 1982. Radauskas explained that the service station disposed of cardboard boxes, miscellaneous packaging materials, and a small amount of paper office trash. In deposition testimony, he also acknowledged the disposal of windshield cleaning fluid, plastic bags, used paper gaskets from motorcycles, spark plugs, and light bulbs. Radauskas claimed that none of the [wastes] disposed of by the service station ... contained any [CERCLA hazardous substances]. After reviewing these facts, Dr. Brown concluded that Adams' waste included lead, trichloroethane, and trichloroethylene, three CERCLA hazardous substances found in the Beacon Heights Landfill. 148 Although the district court concluded that none of the products disposed of are listed by EPA as hazardous substances, the products have component parts that are hazardous substances. Hence, the waste allegedly disposed of by Adams falls within CERCLA. 149 . Bristol Flowed Gasket Company (BFGC): BFGC produces metal stampings. Murtha removed BFGC's general rubbish, including cardboard, [office] waste basket contents, garbage from the company cafeteria, junk mail, and floor sweepings. Dr. Brown concluded that these wastes commonly include several CERCLA hazardous substances, including methylene chloride, benzene, trichloroethane, and diethyl phthalate. All of these substances were found at the landfills. 150 The district court relied on the EPA's decision not to designate BFGC as a potentially responsible party and also found that no direct evidence of BFGC's disposal of hazardous substances was produced. 151 . The Coffee Shop: This Waterbury restaurant disposed all of its waste at the Murtha landfills until 1978. The wastes included containers for Clorox, 409 detergent, Drano, Tide soap, Lysol, and Ajax, as well as cleaning rags and towels. It also disposed of plastic wrappings from food packaging material and empty beverage containers. An employee with personal knowledge of the waste disposed by the appellee averred that none of the restaurant's waste contained any hazardous substances. Dr. Brown concluded that this waste contained xylenes and diethyl phthalate, two hazardous substances found in leachates from both landfills. 152 The district court stated that because the appellee used the cleaning substances listed above, it made no sense to believe that any of the product would still remain in a discarded container; and since whatever amounts discarded were minuscule, it granted summary judgment. Murtha III, 840 F.Supp. at 184. The trial court also stated that none of the cleaning products is listed as a hazardous substance, and that the mere presence of a named hazardous substance as a constituent element of a product does not make the product a hazardous substance. We reject all of these bases of the decision. 153 . Crelan Construction: The district court granted summary judgment, saying that the record reflected no evidence that the movant disposed of hazardous substances at either landfill. The Beacon Heights Coalition concluded that Crelan had neither complied with discovery obligations nor submitted an affidavit in support of its motion. The district court did not rule on this contention, nor does either coalition argue that Crelan's alleged failure to comply with discovery provides a basis for reversal. Nonetheless, we vacate and remand for reconsideration in light of our other holdings today. 154 . First National Supermarkets: The district court found that because no claim was asserted against appellee in the amended complaint, the case against this defendant should be dismissed. It agreed with appellee that the claim was originally made against FNS-Naugatuck. Because the complaint charged FNS-Naugatuck, apparently a different entity than this appellee, we affirm. 155 . Horizon Homes: Horizon Homes owned 12 apartment buildings. By all accounts, it disposed of household waste, including Clorox containers, furniture and floor polish containers, pesticide containers and traps, and containers of ammonia and shampoo. Dr. Brown concluded that this array of waste included several hazardous substances also found in leachates from both landfills. 156 The district court found that because these containers would ordinarily include only minuscule residues, Murtha III, 840 F.Supp. at 186, there could be no liability. As there is no quantitative requirement for CERCLA liability, the fact that only minimal amounts were generated might be relevant in liability apportionment, but it cannot serve to bar liability entirely. 157 . Hospital Marketing Services Co. (HMS): HMS contracted for waste disposal exclusively with Murtha from 1977-79 and 1983-87. It manufactured cold packs that contained calcium chloride and (after December 1987) magnesium sulfate. HMS' waste, according to appellants' evidence, included polyvinyl chloride packaging, ammonium nitrate, urea, and medical and office supplies. Dr. Brown concluded that HMS's waste included hazardous wastes found in both landfills, including acetone, phenol, xylenes, trichloroethane, and diethyl phthalate. 158 The district court granted HMS's motion for summary judgment because none of the products discarded is listed as a hazardous substance and because the Brown affidavit did not identify their composition with specificity. It is hard to know precisely what the district court meant. Dr. Brown looked at the waste discarded and then determined whether it included hazardous substances. It is reasonable to infer that some raw materials were disposed of in the manufacturing process. Even though HMS denied the existence of any proof that it generated hazardous substances, this showing was sufficient to raise a disputed issue of material fact. 159 . Lombard Brothers, Inc./North Penn Transfer, Inc.: According to the district court, Lombard Brothers, Inc. was acquired by North Penn Transfer, Inc. in 1984, and on February 10, 1992, North Penn Transfer, Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection. The industrial coalitions did not respond to the summary judgment motion filed by this appellee because of an automatic stay issued by the bankruptcy court pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 362. 160 The district court granted Lombard Brothers' motion for summary judgment and dismissed the claim against North Penn Transfer, Inc. without prejudice because of the bankruptcy stay. As the automatic stay protecting North Penn necessarily protects its subsidiary, Lombard Brothers, we believe that the claims against both entities should be dismissed without prejudice until the stay is lifted. We therefore affirm the dismissal without prejudice until the stay is lifted. 161 . McDonald's Corporation: In their amended complaint, the coalitions sued McDonald's Restaurant[,] a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Connecticut, and mailed a summons and complaint to McDonald's Restaurant, Rubber Avenue, Naugatuck, Connecticut 06770. However, no McDonald's Restaurant is incorporated in Connecticut. In their motion opposing summary judgment, the coalitions referred to this party as McDonald's Corporation, but again, no such entity is incorporated in Connecticut, and the McDonald's unit on Rubber Avenue in Naugatuck is not operated by McDonald's Corporation. 162 McDonald's Corporation moved to dismiss the complaint under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(4) and (5) for insufficiency of process and insufficiency of service of process. As the coalitions did not address this claim, the district court properly granted the motion to dismiss. We affirm. 163 . Neal's Coffee Shop (Neal Hennessey): Neal's Coffee Shop (until 1977) was a restaurant in Naugatuck, Connecticut that disposed of some 300 lbs. of waste each week, including food packaging, used, empty, cleansing agent containers and styrofoam products. Murtha III, 840 F.Supp. at 189. Dr. Brown opined that such waste included diethyl phthalate, a hazardous substance commonly found in food packaging. Neal Hennessey stated that he ha[d] no knowledge of whether his waste included hazardous substances. The district court granted this appellee's motion for summary judgment without explanation. As is clear from the foregoing, material facts remain disputed. 164 . Portanova Trucking Co., Inc.: This party moved for summary judgment, and neither coalition opposed the motion; Dr. Brown's affidavit is silent as to Portanova. The district court dismissed the action. We affirm. 165 . Portuguese Club: This Naugatuck, Connecticut social club disposed (according to information provided by Frank Rodrigues, one of its officers) waste that included toilet area trash, catering/food garbage and bar debris (empty glass bottles and boxes), food by-products from catering operations, and some office waste. Rodrigues averred that, to the best of his knowledge, none of the Club's waste contained any hazardous substances. Based on this, Dr. Brown determined that waste disposed of by the Portuguese Club included several hazardous substances. Despite the factual dispute, the district court granted the Club's motion for summary judgment, finding no evidence that the Club's waste included hazardous substances. 166 . Shore's Auto Parts: The district court granted summary judgment, commenting that the record contains no evidence that this appellee disposed hazardous substances at Beacon Heights or Laurel Park. See our holding, supra, for Crelan Construction. 167 . Stauffer Chemical Company: This chemical company disposed of office trash, empty paint cans, oil tubes, grease cans, wax containers, floor cement cans and spray containers, and burned light bulbs. According to Dr. Brown, these and other wastes disposed of contained several hazardous substances that were also found in leachates from the two facilities. The district court granted summary judgment. Appellee recognized that traces or de minimis  amounts of hazardous substances might have been discarded. 168 . Steve's Tire and Battery Salvage: Steve's Tire's waste includes scrap tires. According to the Brown affidavit tires will, under normal landfill conditions, leach methyl ethyl ketone, lead, chromium, toluene, and phenol, all of which were found in both landfill leachates. The district court concluded that tires are not hazardous substances and granted summary judgment. The court had also noted that Brown provides no basis for his opinion that tires release hazardous substances. However, Dr. Brown's affidavit specifically relies on five reports that discuss the types of hazardous substances ordinarily released by tire products and is sufficient to raise an issue of disputed material fact. 169 . The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company: This food retailer acknowledges disposing of waste that included cardboard, food products, some wood and some plastic, shipping containers, and packaging materials. An employee of the retailer stated that, to the best of his knowledge, this appellee's waste contained no hazardous substances. Dr. Brown, however, considered the waste disposed of by Stop & Shop and found that it included several hazardous substances. The district court granted summary judgment, concluding that the waste disposed of was insufficient to impose CERCLA liability. The Brown affidavit, however, raises a genuine dispute over a material fact. 170 . Trowbridge House Apartments; Valley Mobile Homes Park/Valley Motor Trailer Sales: These appellees both operate residential complexes and each provided a dumpster for the household waste disposed by their tenants. Trowbridge denied any knowledge of the specific wastes that might have been disposed in its dumpster. Dr. Brown concluded that if the household waste was similar to household waste generally disposed of (an inference unchallenged by the appellee), it contained several hazardous substances found in both landfills. The district court granted summary judgment to Trowbridge. Similarly, as to Valley Mobile Homes Park/Valley Motor Trailer Sales, the district court disregarded Dr. Brown's affidavit detailing the kinds of hazardous substances ordinarily found in household waste and granted summary judgment. 171 . Waterbury Pressed Metals, Inc. (WPM): WPM manufactures plumbing specialties and disposed of solid wastes, including paper, scrap rubber, and plastics, and other ordinary trash through the Murthas. WPM officials contend that they did not generate any hazardous waste found at the facilities. Dr. Brown concluded that trichloroethane, lead, cadmium, dimethyl phthalate, and diethyl phthalate, hazardous substances all found in Laurel Park leachate, were also in WPM's waste. Despite the disputed facts, the district court found the record devoid of evidence that WPM disposed of hazardous waste at either facility and granted summary judgment.