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May 15, 2009   Supreme Court Continues to Reshape CERCLA Liability
By J. Michael Bowman
PDF of Supreme Court Continues to Reshape CERCLA Liability (59k PDF file)

This article discusses the recent decision by the United States Supreme Court in Burlington Northern & Sante Fe Railway Co. v. United States.   The Supreme Court continues to redefine the relationship between cost recovery actions under CERCLA § 107(a) and contribution actions under CERCLA § 113(f).  Burlington Northern adopts the Restatement (Second) of Torts analysis for determining whether § 107(a) mandates imposition of joint and several liability in a specific case.   The author suggests that, after Burlington Northern, advocating a “scorched earth,” all-or-nothing approach to Superfund liability is a risky approach.

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