Articles

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2 Taft lawyers behind new ABA book

The idea for “Environmental Liability and Insurance Recovery” came to Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP attorneys Frank Deveau and David Guevara while waiting for another environmental-themed book they worked on to be published. In fact, the liability and recovery book, which came out in May, made it out a couple months before the other. Both were published by the American Bar Association.

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Judges rule on Evansville environmental coverage case

The Indiana Court of Appeals has determined a Marion County judge properly granted summary judgment in favor of a group of insurance companies because the city of Evansville was seeking coverage for projects aimed at preventing future sewer discharges, rather than remediating past discharges, which wouldn’t be covered by the policies.

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Justices disagree on pollution exclusion coverage

A divided Indiana Supreme Court has held that the pollution exclusion contained in a general commercial liability policy is ambiguous and should be construed to provide coverage rather than in favor of the insurance company trying to deny coverage.

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Majority upholds finding of contempt

Three Indiana justices affirmed a trial court order finding a business owner, his attorney and an environmental firm in contempt for doing work on a site with possible environmental issues after a temporary restraining order had been issued.

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COA affirms ruling in favor of mining company, DNR

The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld the decision to release a surface mining reclamation bond obtained by a mining company, finding the reclamation requirements of the Indiana Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act have been satisfied.

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Appellate court rules on insurance coverage case

The Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of a group of insurance companies that argued a waste management company couldn’t seek coverage for asbestos and related worker injuries under policies signed by corporate predecessors before 1986.

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Environmental groups merge

The Legal Environmental Aid Foundation and The Hoosier Environmental Council announced that the two not-for-profits have merged and will continue operations as the Hoosier Environmental Council.

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Judges split on District Court’s use of Colorado River abstention doctrine

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that a homeowners’ citizen suit under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act against a solid waste dump should be allowed despite two similar suits pending in state court filed by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. However, the court split when determining whether the District Court erred by dismissing the homeowners’ suit based on the Colorado River abstention doctrine.

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Judges address ‘public utility’ questions

In a case of first impression in this state, the Indiana Court of Appeals has determined that BP Products North America Inc.'s petroleum refinery plant in northern Indiana isn’t a public utility as defined by state statute when it acts as a sort of conduit and provides natural gas and other services such as steam and wastewater to other private companies nearby.

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Justices accept ordinance case

The Indiana Supreme Court will decide whether an Indiana town’s ordinance that would give the town the exclusive right to control, regulate, and sell water is actually invalid.

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