Pinal Creek Group v. Newmont Mining Corp.

352 F. Supp. 2d 1037, 2005 WL 147057
CourtDistrict Court, D. Arizona
DecidedJanuary 24, 2005
DocketCV911764-PHX-DAE(LOA)
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 352 F. Supp. 2d 1037 (Pinal Creek Group v. Newmont Mining Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pinal Creek Group v. Newmont Mining Corp., 352 F. Supp. 2d 1037, 2005 WL 147057 (D. Ariz. 2005).

Opinion

ORDER

ANDERSON, United States Magistrate Judge.

This mátter arises on the Motion in Limine of Defendant Atlantic Richfield Company (“Atlantic Richfield” or “ARCO”), (document # 1573) Atlantic Richfield seeks to exclude Plaintiffs’ proffered expert testimony from the Phase One trial. Atlantic Richfield also renews its previously filed Motion to Strike Plaintiffs’ Legal Experts (document # 1014) which the Court denied, without prejudice, as premature during the discovery phase. Plaintiffs oppose the pending motion. As an initial matter, Plaintiffs assert that the motion is premature. After consultation with District Judge Ezra, the undersigned finds it appropriate to resolve the pending motion in limine and the renewed motion to strike. When Atlantic Richfield first filed its motion to strike, discovery was still ongoing. Discovery has since closed and the. Court has ruled on motions for summary judgment. Accordingly, the Court finds that it is appropriate to rule of the pending motion in limine and renewed motion to strike.

At issue in the pending motion is the preclusion of Plaintiffs PDMI/Inspirations’ seven experts from testifying during Phase One of the trial. - These experts include Frank Lewis, Orlando Delogu, Jeffrey Haas, and Jonathan Rose. The reports of these experts are attached to Atlantic Richfield’s previously filed Motion to Strike Reports and Testimony of Plaintiffs’ Legal Experts (document # 1014) and are included in the notebook accompanying the pending Motion in Limine (the “Notebook”) as Exhibits A-D. Plaintiffs also identified Einer Elhauge whose expert report is- attached to the Motion in Limine *1040 (document # 1573) as Exhibit E. Finally, Plaintiffs also plan to call Dr. Donald Gentry, a mining engineer, and Dr. Fredric Quivik, a historian of technology, whose reports are exhibits E and F in the Notebook. The Court will consider each of these experts’ proffered opinions after discussing the procedural history of this matter.

BACKGROUND

On February 4, 2002, Atlantic Richfield filed a Motion to Strike Reports and Testimony of Plaintiffs’ Legal Experts (document # 1014) directed to the proposed testimony of law professors Orlando Delogu, Jeffrey Haas, and Jonathan Rose, and attorney Frank Lewis 1 . On April 24, 2002, the undersigned denied without prejudice Atlantic Richfield’s Motion to Strike Reports and Testimony of Plaintiffs’ Legal Experts as premature. The undersigned indicated that it would resolve the motion as trial approached. The Court, however, stated that the proffered legal opinion evidence proposed by the foregoing experts was likely inadmissible. The undersigned concluded that because “the Court, not a jury, will likely be the trier of fact in this ease, the experienced trial judge herein is more than capable of understanding the evidence and is equally as capable as the law professors and lawyer experts of determining the applicable law and is surely able to apply the law to the evidence notwithstanding the complexities and challenges of this case. Thus, expert testimony on the law will not likely ‘assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue’ as required by Rule 702.” (document # 1053 at 5-6, Notebook Exh. J at 5-6)

After the undersigned’s ruling on the original motion to strike, on December 27, 2002, the Court granted summary judgment in favor of Atlantic Richfield on all issues relating to Plaintiffs’ alter ego and joint venture claims, (document # 1219, # 1220) Accordingly, the only claim remaining against Atlantic Richfield concerning pollution from Inspiration facilities is Plaintiffs’ claim that Anaconda was a “direct operator” of Inspiration’s pollution-causing facilities or a “direct arranger” of the disposal of wastes from those facilities. (See document 1221 at 16) This claim will be tried at the Phase One trial.

RELEVANT LAW

Under Plaintiffs’ direct operator liability claim that will be tried during Phase One, Plaintiffs must prove that sole agents of Anaconda “manage[d], directed], or eon-duct[ed] operations specifically related to pollution, that is, operations having to do with the leakage or disposal of hazardous waste, or decisions about compliance with environmental regulations.” Bestfoods, 524 U.S. at 66-67, 118 S.Ct. 1876, (document # 1221 at 10) Under the rule of Bestfoods, Plaintiffs must prove their “arranger” liability claim through evidence that Anaconda sole agents arranged for disposal of hazardous substances owned or possessed by Anaconda. See, Transportation Leasing Co. v. California, 861 F.Supp. 931, 941 (C.D.Cal.l993)(holding that arranger liability claim requires proof that defendant “arranged” for the disposal of hazardous substances “owned or possessed” by defendant.); Raytheon Constructors, Inc. v. Asarco, Inc., 368 F.3d 1214, 2003 WL 984623, at * 5 (10th Cir.2003)(stating that “[t]he Bestfoods *1041 holding regarding operator liability also logically applies to cases involving arranger liability.”); Coeur D’Alene Tribe v. Asarco, 280 F.Supp.2d 1094, 1131 (D.Idaho 2003)(“Applying Bestfoods in an arranger liability context, it appears that arranger liability requires active involvement in the arrangements of disposal of hazardous substances.”)

Both operator and arranger liability require an analysis of the totality of the circumstances. See, K.C.1986 Ltd. Partnership v. Reads Mfg., 33 F.Supp.2d 820, 834 (W.D.Mo.1998)(operator liability requires an analysis of the totality of the circumstances of a party’s involvement at the site.) Under Bestfoods, in resolving the direct operator and arranger issues, the court should consider the totality of the circumstances. The “totality of the circumstances” standard permits the trier of fact to consider the context in which the parties’ action occurred. The Court, therefore, finds that PDMI and Inspiration may offer evidence about the factual background of Inspiration and Anaconda’s business relationship. This context will assist the trier of fact in assessing the significance of certain actions taken by Anaconda agents. See, Coeur D’Alene Tribe v. Asarco, Inc., 280 F.Supp.2d 1094, 1127 (D.Idaho 2003)(applying the totality of the circumstances standard to analyze operator liability and stating that “[t]he question is not confined solely to whether Asarco and Hecla operated the day-to-day' affairs of their business offices or plants but who all was involved in the operations and activities of the mines and mills themselves.”)

In Bestfoods, the Court held that the proper inquiry for determining CERCLA direct operator liability focuses on the participation in activities of the polluting facility, not the activities that solely relate to the subsidiary. United States v. Best-foods, 524 U.S. 51, 68, 118 S.Ct.

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

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
352 F. Supp. 2d 1037, 2005 WL 147057, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pinal-creek-group-v-newmont-mining-corp-azd-2005.