Akzo Coatings, Inc. v. Aigner Corp.

881 F. Supp. 1202, 41 Fed. R. Serv. 1186, 25 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 21339, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19970, 1994 WL 776399
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Indiana
DecidedOctober 19, 1994
DocketS91-570M
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 881 F. Supp. 1202 (Akzo Coatings, Inc. v. Aigner Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Akzo Coatings, Inc. v. Aigner Corp., 881 F. Supp. 1202, 41 Fed. R. Serv. 1186, 25 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 21339, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19970, 1994 WL 776399 (N.D. Ind. 1994).

Opinion

*1206 MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

MILLER, District Judge.

This cause comes before the court on the motions of the RD/RA Settling Defendants 1 for partial summary judgment on Count 1 of their complaint on the issue of liability and for leave to file a statement of genuine issues instanter, and the motions of plaintiffs Akzo Coatings, Inc. (“Akzo”) and O’Brien Corporation (“O’Brien”) for summary judgment and for oral argument. For the reasons that follow, the court finds that the RD/RA Settling Defendants’ motion for leave to file a statement of genuine issues instanter must be granted, their motion for partial summary judgment on Count 1 as to liability must be denied, and the plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment must be granted in part and denied in part.

I.

As a preliminary matter, the court must address the RD/RA Settling Defendants’ motion for leave to file a statement of genuine issues instanter. The RD/RA Settling Defendants filed a motion for partial summary judgment and, in compliance with District Rule 56.1, included a statement of material facts that they contend are not in dispute. The plaintiffs responded to this motion by filing, among other things, a statement of genuine issues setting forth the material facts which they contend are disputed; the plaintiffs also filed a cross-motion for summary judgment with a separate statement of material facts. The RD/RA Settling Defendants contested the cross-motion on its merits, but did not include a statement of genuine issues. Thus, the plaintiffs contend that for purposes of their motion for summary judgment, all the facts set forth in their statement of material facts must be taken as true.

Although the court does not find District Rule 56.1 “ill-suited” to cases where cross-motions for summary judgment have been filed, the court understands the RD/RA Settling Defendants’ confusion over the need to file a statement of genuine issues. To prevent any further confusion, the court underscores that each summary judgment motion is separate and distinct, and must be addressed as such.

Nevertheless, the plaintiffs have not been prejudiced by the RD/RA Settling Defendants’ failure to file a statement of genuine issues. The RD/RA Settling Defendants confronted the plaintiffs’ summary judgment motion on its merits, and identified the facts that they contend are disputed. The plaintiffs addressed the contested facts in their reply brief, neither party would be prejudiced unduly by allowing the RD/RA Settling Defendants’ to file a statement of genuine issues instanter.

Accordingly, the court grants the RD/RA Settling Defendants’ motion for leave to file a statement of genuine issues instanter.

II.

A.

From 1970 to 1986, Fisher-Calo Chemicals and Solvent Corporation (“Fisher-Calo”) collected, stored, and reclaimed used industrial solvents, waste paints, and other waste materials at the Kingsbury Industrial Park in LaPorte County, Indiana (the “Site”). Since the mid-1970’s, the Site has been the subject of investigations by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and the Indiana State Board of Health, both of which have found numerous violations in the handling and storage of hazardous wastes at the Site. In 1983, the EPA designated the Site as a Superfund site pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 9605, and in 1985, the EPA began a remedial investigation and feasibility study to select the most cost effective cleanup measures.

In December 1988, the EPA issued an administrative order (“AO”) pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 9606 addressing the hazardous sub *1207 stances treated or disposed of at the Fisher-Calo Two-Line Road facility. The AO initially identified thirteen potentially responsible parties (“§ 106 PRPs”); amendments added another twelve. The AO required the § 106 PRPs to develop a plan to sample and remove hazardous waste drums and dispose of contaminated soils. Most § 106 PRPs, including Akzo and O’Brien, agreed to finance and implement the measures required in the AO. To that end, the § 106 PRPs signed a cost-sharing and allocation agreement, which included a provision that they would not sue each other for cleanup costs incurred as a result of implementing the AO’s requirements. By December 1991, these § 106 PRPs had incurred $6 million in costs.

In October 1990, the EPA notified approximately 200 additional companies (“RD/RA PRPs”) that they were liable for past, present, and future cleanup measures required by the Record of Decision. Thirty-five of these RD/RA PRPs entered into a cost-sharing and allocation agreement to finance some of the cleanup measures. In August 1991, the EPA and the State of Indiana entered into a consent decree with the RD/RA Settling Defendants and other parties, which provided that the RD/RA Settling Defendants and others would finance and implement a $40 million cleanup project and pay the EPA $3.1 million for past cleanup costs. On December 30, the consent decree was lodged with the court in United States v. Accurate Partitions Corp., et al., Cause No. S91-646M (N.D.Ind.). The consent decree required the defendants to undertake investigation and remedial action at the Space Leasing facility, the One-Line Road facility, the New Plant Life facility, the Two-Line Road facility, and “Mt. Fisher”. Akzo and O’Brien were not parties to the consent decree.

B.

Fisher-Calo began solvent recycling operations at the One-Line Road facility in 1972, whereby Fisher-Calo received dirty solvents from various customers and fed the dirty solvents into a still. Two products came out of the still — clean solvents and distillate bottoms waste (“stillbottoms”). Fisher-Calo sold the clean solvents, and stored the still-bottoms in fifty-five gallon drums outside the plant. During the Site’s existence, more than 250 companies sent six million gallons of used solvents and other wastes to the Site for reclamation and reuse. In 1978, a fire destroyed the One-Line Road facility. Three years later, in October 1981, Fisher-Calo began a new solvent recycling operation at the Two-Line Road facility.

Akzo and O’Brien manufacture paints; they use solvents to clean paint off their manufacturing equipment. These used solvents become contaminated with paint and must be recycled to remove the dissolved paint contaminants. Used solvents generated by Akzo were delivered to Fisher-Calo for recycling from February 1982 to August 1984. Used solvents generated by O’Brien were delivered to Fisher-Calo for recycling from October 1981 to September 1984. Akzo and O’Brien arranged with Fisher-Calo for Fisher-Calo to transport, store, and reclaim the solvents at the Site. Fisher-Calo then transported the reclaimed solvent back to Akzo and O’Brien. Akzo and O’Brien contend that wastes generated from their used solvents were stored temporarily at the Two-Line Road facility in a large storage tank, and shipped offsite periodically for use as a fuel supplement.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

APL Co. Pte. Ltd. v. Remira Water Solutions, Inc.
999 F. Supp. 2d 590 (S.D. New York, 2014)
United States v. Musal
421 F. Supp. 2d 1153 (S.D. Iowa, 2006)
Hicks v. Charles Pfizer & Co. Inc.
466 F. Supp. 2d 799 (E.D. Texas, 2005)
Sours v. Glanz
24 F. App'x 912 (Tenth Circuit, 2001)
United States v. Hercules, Inc.
247 F.3d 706 (Eighth Circuit, 2001)
United States of America Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology v. Hercules, Inc., Vertac Chemical Corporation Department of Defense Dow Chemical Corporation, Uniroyal Chemical Limited, Formerly Known as Uniroyal Limited, 1 Velsicol Chemical Corporation John Does, 1-5, Washington Legal Foundation John Doull, ph.d., M.D. Karl K. Rozman, ph.d. William J. Waddell, M.D. K. Roger Hornbrook, ph.d. Daniel M. Byrd, Iii, ph.d., D.A.B.T. Robert Golden, ph.d. B. Frank Vincent, ph.d. International Society of Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology American Council on Science and Health the Allied Educational Foundation Frank B. Cross Michael R. Fox, ph.d. Gary E. Marchant, Amici on Behalf of United States of America Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology v. Hercules, Inc., Vertac Chemical Corporation Department of Defense Dow Chemical Corporation, Uniroyal Chemical Limited, Formerly Known as Uniroyal Limited, Velsicol Chemical Corporation John Does, 1-5, Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology v. Vertac Chemical Corporation Hercules, Inc., a Corporation, Washington Legal Foundation John Doull, ph.d., M.D. Karl K. Rozman, ph.d. William J. Waddell, M.D. K. Roger Hornbrook, ph.d. Daniel M. Byrd, Iii, ph.d., D.A.B.T. Robert Golden, ph.d. B. Frank Vincent, ph.d. International Society of Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology American Council on Science and Health the Allied Educational Foundation Frank B. Cross Michael R. Fox, ph.d. Gary E. Marchant, Amici on Behalf of United States of America, Vertac Chemical Corporation, Hercules, Inc., Dow Chemical Corporation, Uniroyal Chemical Limited, Formerly Known as Uniroyal Limited, United States of America Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology, Hercules, Inc., Vertac Chemical Corporation Department of Defense Dow Chemical Corporation, Uniroyal Chemical Limited, Formerly Known as Uniroyal Limited, Velsicol Chemical Corporation John Does, 1-5
247 F.3d 706 (Eighth Circuit, 2001)
Ninth Avenue Remedial Group v. Allis Chalmers Corp.
974 F. Supp. 684 (N.D. Indiana, 1997)
United States v. Dico, Inc.
979 F. Supp. 1255 (S.D. Iowa, 1997)
Memphis Zane May Associates v. IBC Manufacturing Co.
952 F. Supp. 541 (W.D. Tennessee, 1996)
Akzo Coatings, Inc. v. Aigner Corp.
960 F. Supp. 1354 (N.D. Indiana, 1996)
Akzo Coatings, Inc. v. Ainger Corp.
909 F. Supp. 1154 (N.D. Indiana, 1995)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
881 F. Supp. 1202, 41 Fed. R. Serv. 1186, 25 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 21339, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19970, 1994 WL 776399, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/akzo-coatings-inc-v-aigner-corp-innd-1994.