EPA Announces New Tenant Protections Under Superfund

| April 30, 2013

EPA has just extended to tenants the Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser (“BFPP”) protection, by which Congress previously exempted certain prospective owners from harsh Superfund liability. Even where the landlord loses its BFPP protection, the new EPA enforcement guidance memo allows tenants to hold onto it, assuming the tenant can meet certain requirements. Traditionally, a tenant derived [...]

Migration of Contamination Does Not Automatically Create a Single “Facility” Under CERCLA

| December 12, 2012

A federal court in New York recently decided that the migration of subterranean contamination onto a neighboring property was not, by itself, a sufficient basis to hold a neighboring landowner jointly liable for remediation costs under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”).

Pollution Exclusions

| March 6, 2007

Pollution exclusions were first introduced in insurance policies beginning in the early-1970‚ to remove any doubt that may have existed in connection with coverage for damage caused by pollutants which were released as a normal part of the insured‚ business operations. By the late-1980‚ however, most insurance policies included ‚ absolute‚ pollution exclusions.

Duty to Defend

| February 28, 2007

A typical Commercial General Liability (CGL) insurance policy includes two duties: (1) the duty to defend; and (2) the duty to indemnify. The duty to defend, when triggered, obligates the insurer to provide the insured legal counsel to represent them and to defend them from claims, including claims that may ultimately prove to invalid, or [...]

Commercial General Liability (CGL) Insurance

| February 23, 2007

A typical Commercial General Liability (CGL) insurance policy covers claims made by third parties for damages the insured party is legally obligated to pay as the result of an “occurrence” resulting