A Civil Action:TCE Contamination Exposed

A Civil Action:
TCE Contamination Exposed

Just like Jan Schlichtmann in A Civil Action, although fortunately with better results, John Parisi and Lynn Johnson took on a large multi-national corporation operating a manufacturing plant in southwestern Mis-souri, exposing its TCE contamination of the surrounding properties. Un-like Schlicht-mann (and John Travolta in the movie), our firm joined forces with our good friends at Klamman & Hubbard in Overland Park, Kansas and Humphrey, Farrington & McClain in Independence, Missouri to handle this class action environmental litigation. Two separate actions, one in federal court and the other in state court, produced a total settlement of nearly $12 million for several hundred property owners.

The story of the contamination began to unfold in April of 1991, when the residents of Silver Creek and Saginaw Villages in southwestern Missouri were horrified to learn that the ground water beneath their towns was contaminated with Trichloroethylene (TCE), a toxic and potentially cancer causing agent. The FAG Bearings Corporation ball bearing manufacturing plant is located immediately north of Silver Creek and Saginaw Village. Geo-hydrology reports showed that water in the area flows from north to south tending to move from FAG Bearings property on to Silver Creek and Saginaw Villages. From 1973 through 1981, FAG used TCE at its plant as a "degreasing" agent in the manufacturing process for ball bearings. Evidence was uncovered during the course of the litigation which proved that FAG had released substantial quantities of TCE into the air and onto the ground.

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Welcome

Litigation on behalf of small property owners battling multi-national corporations is among the most satisfying work we do. For more than 20 years our firm has had the opportunity to investigate, evaluate and pursue many of these difficult but rewarding cases, such as the successful water contamination class action reported in this issue of the newsletter. Our firm is pleased to welcome new associate attorneys Stephen R. Bough and Ann E. Agnew, both of whom have just completed clerkships for the federal courts in Missouri.