Disclosing environmental violations
Case involving a pork producer was first test of law enacted in 2009.
Environmental Issues
Articles
Environmental law research team receives $5,000 grant to study water governance
A grant from the International Council for Canadian Studies will assist Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law professor Eric Dannenmaier and a student research team in their work on transboundary water resource governance.
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.
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.
Supreme Court rules town can regulate aquifer’s water use
Underground aquifers are “watercourses” as defined by state law and as a result the Indiana Supreme Court says community officials have the ability to reasonably regulate how that water is taken out and used by other local governments.
Judges rule on breach of contract lawsuit
The City of Jeffersonville breached its contract with a company hired to maintain its sewer system by not adequately providing written notice before ending the contract.
COA splits on whether Dreaded decision requires judgment for insurer
In a dispute over whether an insurer was required to pay pre-notice costs for environmental cleanup, the Indiana Court of Appeals was divided over whether the Indiana Supreme Court ruling Dreaded v. St. Paul Guardian Insurance was distinguishable from the instant case.
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.
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.
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.
Judges disagree on whether landowners are ‘aggrieved’
Jurists on the Indiana Court of Appeals disagreed on an issue of first impression about what an “aggrieved” party is when it comes to filing a mandate or injunction against a water conservancy district under state statute.
Justices find statute doesn’t apply to landfill facility
The Indiana Supreme Court has ruled on a 30-year fight between the owners of a proposed landfill and neighbors, ruling that a new law doesn’t apply to the facility or require it to get a new permit.
Justices reaffirm uniform-contract interpreation approach
The Indiana Supreme Court has reaffirmed the state’s reliance on the uniform-contract interpretation approach rather than a site-specific approach for deciding which of several states’ laws should apply to an environmental remediation insurance coverage case.
Judges affirm complaint is time-barred
Although a trial court shouldn’t have adhered to its local rule because it failed to achieve “the ultimate end of orderly and speedy justice,” the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court’s finding that a woman’s claim against her deceased husband’s former employer was time-barred.
Insurer needs notice of claim to defend it
An insurer can't defend a claim of which it has no knowledge and its duty to defend doesn't begin until it receives basic notice information to allow it to defend a claim, ruled the Indiana Supreme Court.
COA first court to join ‘green’ ABA program
The Indiana Court of Appeals has been named as a Law Office Climate Challenge Partner by the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy and Resources. The appellate court is the first court in the country to join the program.
Justices: City can proceed with ELA claim
The Indiana Supreme Court held that the city of South Bend's claim under the Environmental Legal Action statute can continue because the statute of limitations hadn't run out.