HARTWELL CORPORATION v. SUPERIOR COURT

No. S082782.

115 Cal.Rptr.2d 874 (2004)

27 Cal.4th 256

38 P.3d 1098

HARTWELL CORPORATION et al., Petitioners, v. The SUPERIOR COURT of Ventura County, Respondent; Kristin Santamaria et al., Real Parties in Interest, And eight other cases.

Supreme Court of California.

February 4, 2002.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Carroll, Burdick & McDonough, N. Kathleen Strickland, Donald T. Ramsey, Jack T. Friedman, Elizabeth L. Zepeda, San Francisco; Holland & Knight, N. Kathleen Strickland, Donald T. Ramsey and Devin C. Courteau, San Francisco, for Petitioners The Hartwell Corporation, Rubber Urethanes, Inc., Screwmatic, Inc., J.H. Mitchell & Sons Distributors, Fairchild Industries, Azusa Land Reclamation Company, Inc., and Oil and Solvent Process Company.

Beveridge & Diamond, James L. Meeder, Janet C. Loduca, San Francisco; Allen Matkins Leek Gamble & Mallory, James L. Meeder and Alexander C. Crockett, San Francisco, for Petitioners Mobil Oil Corporation, Lockheed-Martin Corporation and The Valspar Corporation.

Law Offices of David C. Solinger, David C. Solinger, Corvina; Resolution Law Group, Philip C. Hunsucker, Michael 0. Nelson and Andrea J. Greenberg, Lafayette, for Petitioners Whico Machine, Inc., Donald White and John White.

Gallagher & Gallagher, Timothy V.P. Gallagher, Thomas C. Sites and Martin N. Refkin, Los Angeles, for Petitioner Oil and Solvent Process Company. Engstrom, Lipscomb & Lack, Walter J. Lack, Gary A. Praglin, Joy L. Robertson, Michele Hitt, Los Angeles; Girardi & Keese, Thomas V. Girardi, Los Angeles; DeWitt, Algorri & Algorri and Mark Steven Algorri, Pasadena, for Petitioners and Real Parties in Interest Christine Boswell et al., Loretta Celi et al., and Jeff Adler et al.

McKenna & Cuneo and Joseph F. Butler, Los Angeles, for Petitioners and Real Parties in Interest Covina Irrigating Company and California Domestic Water Company.

Lagerlof, Senecal, Bradley & Swift and Andrew D. Turner, Pasadena, for Petitioner and Real Party in Interest California Domestic Water Company.

Lemieux & O'Neill, W. Keith Lemieux and Steven P. O'Neill, Westlake Village, for Petitioners and Real Parties in Interest San Gabriel County Water District and Valley County Water District.

Proskauer Rose, Aaron P. Allan, Barry C. Groveman, Gregory J. Patterson, Los Angeles; Musick, Peeler & Garrett, Barry

C. Groveman, Los Angeles; Timothy J. Ryan, Los Angeles; Chapin Shea McNutt & Carter and Steven J. Renshaw, for Petitioner and Real Party in Interest San Gabriel Valley Water Company.

Haight, Brown & Bonesteel, Gary C. Ottoson, Rita Gunasekaran, Santa Monica; Bacalski, Byre & Koska, William K. Koska, San Diego; Hatch & Parent, Steven A. Amerikaner and Scott S. Slater, Santa Barbara, for Petitioner and Real Party in Interest Southern California Water Company.

Daniels, Baratta & Fine, Daniels, Fine, Israel & Schonbuch, Mary Hulett, Mark A. Vega, Paul Fine, Los Angeles; Ragsdale Liggett and Mary Hulett, Raleigh, NC, for Petitioners and Real Parties in Interests Suburban Water Systems and Southwest Water Company, Inc.

Crosby, Heafey, Roach & May, Randall D. Morrison and Joan M. Haratani, Oakland, for Petitioner and Real Party in Interest Baxter Healthcare Corporation.

Shapiro, Mitchell & Dupont, Shapiro & Dupont, Shapiro, Borenstein & Dupont and Norman A. Dupont, Santa Monica, for Petitioner and for Real Party in Interest Reichhold.

No appearance for Respondent Superior Court.

McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enersen, John R. Reese, Barry P. Goode, Jill F. Cooper, Eric F. Pierson and Lonnie Finkel, Los Angeles, for Real Party in Interest Wynn Oil Company.

Christensen, Miller, Fink, Jacobs, Glaser, Weil & Shapiro, Patricia L. Glaser, Terry Avchen, David A. Giannotti and Jan Jensen, Los Angeles, for Real Party Interest Huffy Corporation.

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, Jeffrey N. Brown, Steven J. Oppenheimer and Wendy K. Kilbride, Los Angeles, for Real Party in Interest Avery Dennison Corporation.

Munger, Tolles & Olson and Peter R. Taft, Los Angeles, for Real Party in Interest Aerojet General Corporation.

Belcher, Henzie & Biegenzahn, E. Lee Horton, John S. Curtis, Scott J. Leipzig, Los Angeles; Steefel, Levitt & Weiss, Lenard G. Weiss, Mark Fogelman, San Francisco; and Jan S. Driscoll, San Diego, for Real Party in Interest California-American Water Company.

Rose, Klein & Marias, Barry I. Goldman, Dennis J. Sherwin, David A. Rosen, Christopher P. Ridout and Arlyn M. Latin, Los Angeles, for Real Parties in Interest Kristin Santamaria et al.

Horvitz & Levy, Frederic D. Cohen and David S. Ettinger, Encino, for California Water Association as Amicus Curiae.


CHIN, J.

Plaintiffs, residents of the San Gabriel Valley in Southern California, filed lawsuits in superior court, alleging, inter alia, that certain water companies provided them unsafe drinking water causing death, personal injury, and property damage. Public Utilities Code section 1759,1 however, precludes superior court jurisdiction to review any order or decision of the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) or to interfere...

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