BAHRLE v. EXXON CORP.


145 N.J. 144 (1996)

678 A.2d 225

DAVID BAHRLE, IDA BAHRLE, MICHAEL BAHRLE, STEVEN BAHRLE, WILLIAM BAHRLE, PATRICIA M. BAHRLE, STEVEN AND PATRICIA M. BAHRLE AS GUARDIANS AD LITEM FOR KYLE BAHRLE, A MINOR, KAREN BENHAM, MICHAEL BENHAM, MICHAEL BENHAM, AS GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR CARLEY BENHAM, AND MICHAEL C. BENHAM, MINORS, DONNA BERGMANN, KENNETH BERGMANN, KENNETH BERGMANN, AS GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR JASON BERGMANN AND MICHAEL BERGMANN, MINORS, ELIZABETH BETZ, LAWRENCE BETZ, JR., CAROLE A. BRILLY, KATHLEEN BRILLY, MARYBETH BRILLY, PATRICK J. BRILLY, CAROLE A. BRILLY, AS GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR PATRICIA B. BRILLY, A MINOR, RUTH CERVASIO, THOMAS CERVASIO, HILARY DONOHUE, ROBERT M. DONOHUE, ROBERT M. DONOHUE, AS GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR DAWN DONOHUE, MERRILEE DONOHUE AND TIFFANY DONOHUE, MINORS, DOROTHY FORTUS, JOHN S. FORTUS, PATRICIA D. FORTUS, STEPHEN J. FORTUS, DEBRA A. FRIERMUTH, NEIL ALAN FRIERMUTH, SHERRY A. FRICK, THOMAS D. FRICK, THOMAS AND SHERRY FRICK, AS GUARDIANS AD LITEM FOR ATRINA FRICK, A MINOR, DAVID GALLINA, ELLEN GALLINA, ELLEN GALLINA, AS GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR KAREN GALLINA, AND KRISTINE GALLINA, MINORS, ANDREW GLATZ, BERTHA GLATZ, FREDERICK A. GLATZ, PAUL T. GLATZ, CHERYL D. HEDBERG, JOHN A. HEDBERG, CHERYL D. HEDBERG, AS GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR DERRICK HEDBERG, JOHN HEDBERG, AND MICHELE HEDBERG, MINORS, NORA HENNESSEY, MARIE HOWLEY, ELLEN KLEIN, JOSEPH S. KLEIN, PATRICIA ANN KLEIN, JOSEPH S. KLEIN, AS GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR THERESA KLEIN, A MINOR, DALE R. KNOTT, DENISE L. KNOTT, IRENE G. KNOTT, GEORGE T. LEARY, III, JUDITH A. LEARY, JUDITH A. LEARY, AS GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR SEAN A. SCANLON AND TARA B. SCANLON, MINORS, JEAN LUZETSKY, JOHN J. LUZETSKY, ROBERT J. LUZETSKY, JOHN AND JEAN LUZETSKY, AS GUARDIANS AD LITEM FOR JANENE LUZETSKY, A MINOR, WILLIAM J. MAGYARITS, ELAINE MANGAN, GRACE MANGAN, JUDITH MANGAN, MICHAEL G. MANGAN, SR., PETER MANGAN, WILLIAM MANGAN, WILLIAM MANGAN, AS GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR CHRISTOPHER MANGAN, NOAH MANGAN, PATRICK MANGAN AND WILLIAM MANGAN, JR., MINORS, ELAINE MANGAN, AS GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR MICHAEL MANGAN, JR. AND TARYN MANGAN, MINORS, ELLEN MARANO, SALVATORE MARANO, DENNIS MCCORY, DIANE B. MCCORY, ELEANOR MCCORY, DENNIS MCCORY, AS GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR KATHLEEN MCCORY, A MINOR, CAROL ANN MCMAHON, PATRICK L. MCMAHON, DORIS MEEHAN, JAMES J. MEEHAN, JOHN V. MEEHAN, MILDRED J. MEEHAN, VINCENT T. MEEHAN, JOHN V. AND MILDRED J. MEEHAN, AS GUARDIANS AD LITEM FOR JOHN J. MEEHAN, A MINOR, MICHAEL A. METELSKY, ANITA J. O'BRIEN, THOMAS E. O'BRIEN, CHARLES OBRZUT, STELLA OBRZUT, LUCILLE PETERS, ESTATE OF HELMUTH PETERS, HAZEL F. PETERSON, ROBERT PETERSON, ROBERT PETERSON, AS GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR CHRISTINE PETERSON, A MINOR, CATHLEEN PETRIN, NICHOLAS PETRIN, STEFFANY PETRIN, TIMOTHY PETRIN, JOSEPH PINO, LINDA PINO, LINDA PINO, AS GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR ANGELA CAPUTO AND JOSEPH CAPUTO, MINORS, JOAN PONTICELLO, MATTHEW PONTICELLO, JOAN PONTICELLO, AS GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR RENE PONTICELLO AND TINA PONTICELLO, MINORS, CATHRYN POPP, ANGELA RIZZO, ANTHONY RIZZO, CHRISTINE RIZZO, GENE J. SANTUCCI, JUDITH ANN SANTUCCI, JUDITH ANN SANTUCCI, AS GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR DIANE SANTUCCI, JOSEPH SANTUCCI, MICHAEL SANTUCCI, THERESA SANTUCCI AND TIMOTHY SANTUCCI, MINORS, EDWARD J. SCANLON, HEATHER V. SCANLON, HEATHER V. SCANLON, AS GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR CHAD SCANLON, DIERDRE LEARY AND DREW LEARY, MINORS, JAMES F. SMITH, JR., MARGARET SMITH, MARIE SMITH, JAMES F. SMITH, JR. AND MARIE SMITH, AS GUARDIANS AD LITEM FOR DONNA SMITH, A MINOR, RICHARD SPAFFORD, SUSAN SPAFFORD, SUSAN SPAFFORD, AS GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR RICHARD SPAFFORD, JR., RONALD SPAFFORD AND WENDI SPAFFORD, MINORS, BERTHA B. TIER, JOHN E. TIER, CHRISTOPHER VANDERKAM, MARK E. VANDERKAM, PATRICIA VANDERKAM, EDWARD VANDERKAM, MARK E. VANDERKAM, AS GUARDIAN AD LITEM FOR LYNN VANDERKAM WAGNER, A MINOR, BENJAMIN WEDEKIND, FRANK WEDEKIND, KEVIN WEDEKIND, MARY WEDEKIND, KURT WEDEKIND, PLAINTIFFS-APPELLANTS, v. EXXON CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY DOING BUSINESS AS EXXON CO., USA; INNCO FUELS, INC., A CORPORATION OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY; CONWAY AUTO, INC., A CORPORATION OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY; RICHARD E. RITCHIE AND SUSAN M. RITCHIE, TRADING AS LACEY EXXON; LACEY TOWNSHIP, A MUNICIPAL CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY; POINT BAY FUEL, INC., A CORPORATION OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY; GARDEN STATE PARKWAY AUTHORITY; JERSEY CENTRAL POWER AND LIGHT COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY; CHARLOTTE W. RULE; KALSCH-FORTE OIL CO., INC., A/K/A K-FORTE OIL CO., A CORPORATION OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY; "JOHN DOE" DEFENDANTS B THROUGH Z; "JOHN DOE" DEFENDANTS 4 THROUGH 10; * * "JOHN ROE"; DEFENDANTS A THROUGH Z; "JOHN ROE" DEFENDANTS 1 THROUGH 10, * * RULES TEXACO, INC., DEFENDANTS, AND TEXACO REFINING AND MARKETING INC., IMPROPERLY DESIGNATED AS TEXACO CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE; DONALD W. RULE, IMPROPERLY IMPLEADED AS THE ESTATE OF DONALD W. RULE, T/A RULE'S SERVICE STATION, DEFENDANTS-RESPONDENTS.

The Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Decided July 9, 1996.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Alan H. Sklarsky argued the cause for appellants (Tomar, Simonoff, Adourian, O'Brien, Kaplan, Jacoby & Graziano and Valore Law Firm, attorneys; Mr. Sklarsky and Carl J. Valore, on the briefs).

James Crawford Orr argued the cause for respondent Texaco Refining and Marketing Inc. (Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker, attorneys; Mr. Orr and Joseph A. Gallo, on the briefs).

Donald W. Rule submitted a letter in lieu of brief pro se joining in the brief submitted by respondent Texaco Refining and Marketing Inc.

Michael D. Loprete submitted a brief on behalf of amicus curiae The American Petroleum Institute (Crummy, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger & Vecchione, attorneys; Richard E. Wallace, Jr., a member of the District of Columbia bar and Alan M. Grimaldi, a member of the Maryland bar, of counsel).

Steven J. Picco submitted a brief on behalf of amicus curiae New Jersey Fuel Merchants Association (Picco Herbert Kennedy, attorneys; Mr. Picco, Stacy Cohen and Diane A. Davis, on the brief).


The opinion of the Court was delivered by POLLOCK, J.

This appeal raises the issue whether an oil company should be liable for groundwater contamination because of the activities of an independently-owned and operated gas station that sold the oil company's products. Plaintiffs, residents of Lacey Township, claim that leaks and spills that occurred between 1959 and 1975 at a gas station owned and operated...

Let's get started

Leagle.com

Welcome to the leading source of independent legal reporting
Sign on now to see your case.
Or view more than 10 million decisions and orders.

  • Updated daily.
  • Uncompromising quality.
  • Complete, Accurate, Current.

Listed below are the cases that are cited in this Featured Case. Click the citation to see the full text of the cited case. Citations are also linked in the body of the Featured Case.

Cited Cases

  • No Cases Found

Listed below are those cases in which this Featured Case is cited. Click on the case name to see the full text of the citing case.

Citing Cases