NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION v. OCCIDENTAL CHEMICAL CORPORATION

Nos. A-4620-10T2, A-4623-10T2, A-4625-10T2, A-4628-10T2, A-0067-11T2.

NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, THE COMMISSIONER OF THE NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, and THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE NEW JERSEY SPILL COMPENSATION FUND, Plaintiffs-Respondents, v. OCCIDENTAL CHEMICAL CORPORATION, MAXUS INTERNATIONAL ENERGY COMPANY, REPSOL YPF, S.A., YPF, S.A., YPF HOLDINGS, INC., YPF INTERNATIONAL S.A. (f/k/a YPF INTERNATIONAL LTD.), and CLH HOLDINGS, Defendants, and MAXUS ENERGY CORPORATION and TIERRA SOLUTIONS, INC., Defendants/Third-Party Plaintiffs-Respondents, v. 3M COMPANY, et al., Third-Party Defendants, and DELEET MERCHANDISING CORPORATION, Third-Party Defendant/Appellant. NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, THE COMMISSIONER OF THE NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION and THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE NEW JERSEY SPILL COMPENSATION FUND, Plaintiffs-Respondents, v. OCCIDENTAL CHEMICAL CORPORATION, MAXUS INTERNATIONAL ENERGY COMPANY, REPSOL YPF, S.A., YPF, S.A., YPF HOLDINGS, INC., YPF INTERNATIONAL S.A. (f/k/a YPF INTERNATIONAL LTD.), and CLH HOLDINGS, Defendants, and MAXUS ENERGY CORPORATION and TIERRA SOLUTIONS, INC., Defendants/Third-Party Plaintiffs-Respondents, v. 3M COMPANY, et al., Third-Party Defendants, and CLEAN EARTH OF NORTH JERSEY, INC., HEXION SPECIALITY CHEMICALS, INC., MACE ADHESIVES & COATINGS COMPANY, INC., and R.T. VANDERBILT COMPANY, INC., Third-Party Defendants/Appellants. NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, THE COMMISSIONER OF THE NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION and THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE NEW JERSEY SPILL COMPENSATION FUND, Plaintiffs-Respondents, v. OCCIDENTAL CHEMICAL CORPORATION, MAXUS INTERNATIONAL ENERGY COMPANY, REPSOL YPF, S.A., YPF, S.A., YPF HOLDINGS, INC., YPF INTERNATIONAL S.A. (f/k/a YPF INTERNATIONAL LTD.), and CLH HOLDINGS, Defendants, and MAXUS ENERGY CORPORATION and TIERRA SOLUTIONS, INC., Defendants/Third-Party Plaintiffs-Respondents, v. 3M COMPANY, et al., Third-Party Defendants, and TIFFANY & CO., Third-Party Defendant/Appellant. NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, THE COMMISSIONER OF THE NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, and THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE NEW JERSEY SPILL COMPENSATION FUND, Plaintiffs-Respondents, v. OCCIDENTAL CHEMICAL CORPORATION, MAXUS INTERNATIONAL ENERGY COMPANY, REPSOL YPF, S.A., YPF, S.A., YPF HOLDINGS, INC., YPF INTERNATIONAL S.A. (f/k/a YPF INTERNATIONAL LTD.), and CLH HOLDINGS, Defendants, and MAXUS ENERGY CORPORATION and TIERRA SOLUTIONS, INC., Defendants/Third-Party Plaintiffs-Respondents, v. 3M COMPANY, et al., Third-Party Defendants, and BORDEN & REMINGTON CORP., ITT CORPORATION, et al., Third-Party Defendants/Appellants. NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, THE COMMISSIONER OF THE NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, and THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE NEW JERSEY SPILL COMPENSATION FUND, Plaintiffs-Respondents, v. OCCIDENTAL CHEMICAL CORPORATION, MAXUS INTERNATIONAL ENERGY COMPANY, REPSOL YPF, S.A., YPF, S.A., YPF HOLDINGS, INC., YPF INTERNATIONAL S.A. (f/k/a YPF INTERNATIONAL LTD.), and CLH HOLDINGS, Defendants, and MAXUS ENERGY CORPORATION and TIERRA SOLUTIONS, INC., Defendants/Third-Party Plaintiffs-Respondents, v. 3M COMPANY, et al., Third-Party Defendants, and PHARMACIA CORPORATION, Third-Party Defendant/Appellant.

Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division.

Decided April 24, 2012.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

John F. Gullace (Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox) argued the cause for appellant Pharmacia Corporation ( Michael A. Carter (Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox), attorney; Mr. Gullace and Mr. Carter, on the briefs).

Marc L. Dembling argued the cause for appellant Deleet Merchandising Corporation (Methfessel & Werbel, attorneys; Mr. Dembling and Allison Koenke , of counsel and on the briefs).

Lee Henig-Elona argued the cause for appellants Clean Earth of North Jersey, Inc., Hexion Specialty Chemicals, Inc., Mace Adhesives & Coatings Company, Inc., and R.T. Vanderbilt Company, Inc. (Wolff & Samson, attorneys; Ms. Henig-Elona, Walter A. Saurack (Satterlee Stephens Burke & Burke), and Zoë E. Jasper (Satterlee Stephens Burke & Burke), on the briefs).

John H. Klock argued the cause for appellant Tiffany & Co.; Susanne Peticolas argued the cause for appellant ITT Corporation (Gibbons, attorneys; Ms. Peticolas, of counsel and on the briefs; Mr. Klock, of counsel and on the briefs; Paul M. Hauge , on the briefs).

Thomas A. Buonocore , attorney for appellant Borden & Remington Corp.

Kenneth H. Mack (Fox Rothschild) argued the cause for group of respondents in A-4628-10T2 denominated the Joint Defense Group (John Rousakis (O'Melveny & Myer), attorney; Mr. Rousakis, Mr. Mack, William S. Hatfield (Day Pitney), Camille V. Otero (Day Pitney), Anthony DiLello (O'Melveny & Myer), Andrea Lipuma (Saul Ewing), Glenn A. Harris (Ballard Spahr), Kevin R. Gardner (Connell Foley), of counsel and on the joint briefs).

A. Paul Stofa , Deputy Attorney General, and Wayne D. Greenstone (Gordon & Gordon) argued the cause for respondents New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Administrator of the New Jersey Spill Compensation Fund ( Jeffrey S. Chiesa , Attorney General, attorney; Gordon & Gordon, Special Counsel to the Attorney General, and William J. Jackson (Jackson Gilmour & Dobbs) of the Southern District of Texas bar, admitted pro hac vice, Special Counsel to the Attorney General; Melissa H. Raksa , Assistant Attorney General and John F. Dickinson, Jr. , Deputy Attorney General, of counsel; Mr. Greenstone, on the briefs).

Charles M. Crout (Andrews Kurth) of the Maryland bar, admitted pro hac vice, argued the cause for respondents Maxus Energy Corporation and Tierra Solutions, Inc. in A-0067-11T2 ( Joseph A. Patella (Andrews Kurth), attorney; Mr. Patella, Mr. Crout, and Michele R. Blythe (Andrews Kurth) of the Iowa bar, admitted pro hac vice, for respondents in A-4623-10T2 and in A-4628-10T2, on the briefs).

Vincent E. Gentile and Ross A. Lewin argued the cause for respondents Maxus Energy Corporation and Tierra Solutions, Inc. (Drinker Biddle & Reath, attorneys; William L. Warren and Thomas E. Starnes (Drinker Biddle & Reath) of the District of Columbia bar, admitted pro hac vice, and Mr. Gentile, on the briefs in A-4620-10T2; Mr. Warren, Mr. Starnes, Mr. Lewin and David J. Wagner , on the briefs in A-4625-10T2).

Before Judges Fuentes, Koblitz and Haas.


NOT FOR PUBLICATION

PER CURIAM.

In these back-to-back and consolidated interlocutory appeals, we are asked to determine the viability of contribution claims brought under the New Jersey Spill Compensation and Control Act, N.J.S.A. 58:10-23.11 to-23.24 (Spill Act), and The Joint Tortfeasors Contribution Law (JTCL), N.J.S.A. 2A:53A-1 to -5. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Commissioner...

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