Manuel Anderson, et al. v. Farmland Industries, Inc., United States District Court, District of Kansas Eastern Division

A refinery generates air pollutants, odors that create a nuisance, degrades surrounding property value and the environment, and potentially causes health problems to people in the surrounding area.

Farmland Industries, Inc. is a refinery located in Coffeyville, Kansas. Farmland Industries Inc. polluted the surrounding area and communities with hazardous substances such as hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and volatile compounds which drifted onto Plaintiffs’ homes and properties. The pollution likely contributed to respiratory ailments and caused property damage. In addition to causing harm the defendants were in violation of the Clean Air Act.

The plaintiffs were represented by Sam Ledbetter, Bruce McMath, and Hank Bates. This case was settled with compensation being paid and commitments to make appropriate changes.

Bobby G. Evers & Yvonne Evers v. Beebe Drilling and Supply Company et al. Circuit Court of Union County, Arkansas

Oil and gas exploration resulted in the unlawful use of property as a waste site destroying much of the land and vegetation and contaminating the ground water and neighboring creek.

The defendants had been leasing land from the plaintiffs since the 1920s, using the land for oil and gas exploration and production. On the plaintiffs’ property the defendants constructed, installed and operated drilling units, oil wells, tank batteries, pipeline, flow lines, open pits, and disposal or injection wells. It was alleged that after many years of digging wells and unlawfully disposing of wastes, the defendants abandoned the site without properly plugging the wells left behind. The field and vegetation were damaged and ground water was contaminated.

The defendants violated the provisions of their lease, by not restoring the land to its previous condition. The defendants’ disposal of solid and hazardous wastes without permit violated the Arkansas Solid Management Act and Arkansas’ Hazardous Waste Management Act; using leaky wells and in some cases cutting wells to allow the contents to seep out of the wells violates the Arkansas Water and Air Pollution Control Act, and the Clean Air Act.

The plaintiffs alleged that the defendants were responsible for the proper disposal of the wastes produced on the site, and that they failed to comply with the environment protections required by the state and federal government resulting in degradation of their property and loss of vegetation.

The lawyers representing the plaintiffs were Bruce McMath and Sam Ledbetter. This case was settled.