CALDWELL TRUCKING PRP v. REXON TECHNOLOGY CORP.

No. 03-2346.

421 F.3d 234 (2005)

CALDWELL TRUCKING PRP, an organization of defendants in Civil Action No. 94-1473(WGB) (D.N.J.) for themselves and on behalf of other settling defendants whose contribution claims they may assert pursuant to an Assignment of Right, Appellants v. REXON TECHNOLOGY CORP.; Pullman Transportation Company; S.B. Thomas Inc.; ADT Automotive, Inc., (Parent to Skyline Automotive Exchange); Aero Metal Products Corp., (Subsidiary of Hillside Spinning & Stamping Co.); Aire-Sciences Inc., (Successor-in-Interest to Edo-Air Division of Edo Corporation); ALFA Machine & Tool Co., Inc.; Allen Bradley Company, Inc., (Successor-in-Interest to Theta Instruments Corp.); American Telephone & Telegraph Co., (Successor-in-Interest to Western Electric Co.); Anderson & Vreeland, Inc., (Individually and as Successor-in-Interest to Williamson & Co., Inc.); Anjul Inc.; ARCS Fabricators Inc.; Associated Testing Laboratories; Baureis Realty Co., Inc.; Baxter Rubber Co., Inc.; Becton Dickinson & Company; Bee Chemical Co., Inc., (Wholly-Owned Sudsidiary of Morton International, Inc.); Bell Molded Products Inc.; Biltrite Tool & Die; Bloomfield Manufacturing Co., Inc.; Browning-Ferris Industries of Paterson New Jersey, Inc.; Cantel Industries, Inc., (Successor-in-Interest to Charoz-Carson Corp.); Cartridge Actuated Devices, Inc.; Chem System, Inc.; Chronos Richardson, Inc., (Successor-in-Interest to Howe-Richardson Company, Inc.); Cobehn, Inc; Coltec Industries, Inc., (Formerly Known as Colt Industries, Inc., Crucible Steel Division, Successor-in-Interest to Crucible Specialty Metals Co.); Conopco, Inc., (Successor-in-Interest to Good Humor Corp.); Cook & Dunn Paint Corp.; Crane Co., Inc.; CWC, Inc., (Successor-in-Interest to Culligan Water Conditioning Company of North Jersey, Inc.); Delta Sales Co., Inc.; Airoyal Division, (Successor-in-Interest to Airroyal Manufacturing Co., Inc.); Eastern Cyclone Industries, Inc.; Fairfield Filter Corp.; Fairfield Textiles Corp., (Individually and as Successor-in-Interest to Ottex, Inc.); FLM Graphics Corporation; Folander Sheet Metal Co., Inc.; Ford Motor Company, Inc.; Froelich/Greene Colorpress, Inc., (Successor-in-Interest to Colorpress, Inc.); Garfield Industries Inc.; GEC Marconi Electronics Systems Corporation, (Successor-in-Interest to Kearfott Division of the Singer Company, Inc.); General Hose Products, Inc.; General Wayne Glass, Inc.; Hercules, Inc., (Successor-in-Interest to Esgragh, Inc.); Hillside Spinning and Stamping Co., Inc., (Parent Corporation to Aero Metal Products Corp.); Hoffmann-LA Roche, Inc.; Solbern Division, Successor-in-Interest to Solbern Corp.; Howden Group America, Inc., (Parent to Howden Food Equipment, Inc., Solbern Division Successor-in-Interest to Solbern Corp.); Hurco Manufacturing Co., Division of Hurco Companies, Inc. (Successor-in-Interest to Eltee Enterprises, Inc. and Eltee Pulsitron, Inc.); Industrial Brush Co., Inc; Ingersoll-Rand Company, Inc.; Jayson Oil Company, (Successor-in-Interest to Hults Servisoft Water Service, Inc.); Jersey Specialty Co., Inc.; K & N Nameplate, Inc.; Konner Chevrolet, Inc.; Kreisler Industrial Corp.; L.F.E. & C., Inc., (Successor-in-Interest to West Essex Plumbing Service); Lawson Products,; Lewis Studios, Inc; Litton Industries, Inc.; Mellonics System Development Division, (Successor-in-Interest to Informatics General Corp.); Marvel Manufacturing Co., Inc.; Merrimac Industries, Inc., also known as Merrimac Research and Development, Inc.; Monte Sano & Company, Inc.; Myles F. Kelley, Inc., (Successor-in-Interest to Pinebrook Lumber Co.); National Precision Tool Co., Inc.; New Jersey Bell Telephone Co.; Pentel of America, Ltd.; Pio Costa Entrerprises; PPG Industries, Inc.; Pymah Corporation, (Parent Corporation to Info-Chem, Inc., a Subsidiary); R & L Sheet Metal Co., Inc.; Radiation Systems, Inc.; Anghel Laboratories Division, (Successor-in-Interest to Anghel Laboratories, Inc.); RAPP Welding & Diesel Services, Inc.; Reliance Electrical, Co., Inc.; Republic Tool & Manufacturing Co., Inc.; Rudolph Research Corp.; Sears Roebuck & Co., Inc.; Smiths Industries Aerospace & Defense Systems, Inc., (Successor-in-Interest to Conrac Corp., Systems East Division); Sumco Inc.; Summit Scientific Corp.; the Evans Partnership, doing business as Evans Shure Construction; 350 Passaic Associations, Inc., (Successor-in-Interest to Electro-Nucleonics, Inc.); Tilton Rack & Basket Corp.; Titanium Metals Corporation; TRW, Inc.; Unimatic Manufacturing Corp.; Vibra Screw, Inc.; Waveline, Inc.; Welsh Farms, Inc.; Woolsulate Corporation; Yelof Corp., also known as D & J Metal Finishing Company, Successor-in-Interest to Foley Metal Finishing Co.; Caldwell Township, a Municipal Corporation of the State, of New Jersey; Cedar Grove Township, a Municipal Corporation of the State of New Jersey; Montvihip, (Pinebrook), a Municipal Corporation of the State of New Jersey; Passaic City, a Municipal Corporation of the State of New Jersey; Totowa Borough, a Municipal Corporation of the State of New Jersey; Wayne Township, a Municipal Corporation of the State of New Jersey; John Doe Defendants, 1 through 50; John Doe Defendants, a through Z; John Roe Defendants, 1 through 10; American Sound & Video Corporation, (Successor-in-Interest to RKO Tape Corp.); Associated Testing Laboratories, Inc.; Harold Bernstein, Indemintor of ADT Automotive, Inc.; Bor Corp., Formerly Dothan Auto Exchange, Inc.-Indemnitor of ADT Automotive Inc., Formerly Hatfield Auto Auction, Inc., Formerly Skyline Auto Exchange, Inc., Formerly Keystone Recon Center, Inc.; Estate of Francis L. Carter, Indemnitor of ADT Automotive, Inc., Conrac Corporation; Edo Corporation, Parent of Edo-Air Division; Envirosource Inc., Successor to Solbern Corporation; Henry Fulop, Indemnitor of ADT Automotive, Inc., Joseph A. Keating, Indemnitor of ADT Automotive, Inc.; R & F Alloy Wires, Co; Harry Montville; Municipal Utilities Authority, a municipal corporation of the State of New Jersey; Wayne Township Board of Education, a municipal corporation of the State of New Jersey; Pine Brook Building Supply, Co., Amerada Hess Corp.; Breed Corp.; C.M.W. Corporation; C.M.W.L. Associates, L.P.; Charles Michael Realty Company; Dutch Lane Development Company; Evans Shure Construction; Gusmer & Martin, Inc.; Harris & Sanitation; Heisler Machine & Tool, Inc.; Morris Septic Tank, Morris Septic Tank Company, Inc.; North America Phillips Corporation; Roxbury Township; Charles Evans Development Company; Witco Corporation ADT Automotive, Inc., (Parent to Skyline Automotive Exchange); the Evans Partnerships d/b/a Evans Shure Construction Company; Litton Industries, Inc.; Pentel of America, Ltd.; Smiths Industries Aerospace & Defense Systems, Inc.; Myles F. Kelly, Inc.; Monte Sano and Company, Inc.; Biltrite Tool & Die, Co.; Pio Costa Enterprises; Gusmer & Martin, Inc.; Aero Metal Products Corp.; Breed Corporation; Fairfield Filter Corp.; Witco Corporation; Jersey Specialty Co., Inc.; Totowa Borough; Associated Testing Laboratories, Inc.; the Pullman Transportation Company, Defendants/Third-Party Plaintiffs v. Stora Kopparberg; Telemax; T.J. Lipton; TRW, Inc.; Ucko; Universal Storage Warehouse; Wometco, Inc.; Yale Security, Inc.; Interstate Electronics Corporation; Conrac Technology Corporation; Conrac Electron, Inc.; Belgarve Industries; Conrac Display Products, Inc.; Mark IV Holdings, Inc.; Howden Fluid System, Inc.; Bor Corp., formerly Skyline Auto Exchange, Inc.; Bor Corp., formerly Hatfield Auto Auction, Inc.; Bor Corp., formerly Keystone Recon Center, Inc.; Skorb Corp., formerly Hatfield Auto Transport, Inc.; Bor Corp., formerly Johnston Auto Auction, Inc.; Bor Corp., formerly Dothan Auto Exchange, Inc.; Auction Advisors, Ltd.; Louis Stern; James K. Wolosoff; the Evans Partnership, d/b/a Evans Shure Construction Company; Address O Graph, Inc.; Aries Corporation; Astlett; Bard Parker, a division of Becton-Dickinson and Company; Becton-Dickinson and Company; Digital Electronic System, Inc.; Equitamatics, Inc.; Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, Equitable Life Company; Good Humor Corporation; Honeywell, Inc.; International Business Machine Corp.; Informatics, Inc.; Memorex Corporation; Phillips Petroleum Company; Rapidata, Inc.; Ricoh Corporation; Singer Company, the Singer Company; Sperry Rand Corporation; Sterling Software, Inc.; Standard Publishing Co.; Conrac Corporation; John Doe Corporations 1-10; Pine Brook Building Supply, Co., Inc.; Louis Malachowsky; Robert Malachowsky; Macy's East, Inc.; Draghi A.W. Ground Products Co.; Anton Company, a New Jersey Limited Partnership; George O'Connor; Ruth Ann O'Connor; Okon Corporation; Caldwell Trucking Company, Third-Party Defendants v. Harold Bernstein; Henry Fulop; Joseph A. Keating; Estate of Francis L. Carter; John Does a Through Z; John Roes a Through Z; ABC Corporations and/or Partnerships a Through Z, Fourth-Party Defendants. The Pullman Company, Rexon Technology Corporation and Mark IV Industries, Inc., Appellants.

United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit.

Filed August 31, 2005.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Gregory J. Coffey, Esquire (Argued), Coffey & Associates, Morristown, NJ, Greiner & Chadsey, Williamsville, NY, Of Counsel: Deborah J. Chadsey, Esquire, Gregory J. Coffey, Esquire, On the Brief: Gregory J. Coffey, Esquire, Deborah J. Chadsey, Esquire, Richard J. Deweand, Esquire, for Appellants, The Pullman Company, Rexon Technology Corporation and Mark IV Industries.

H. Curtis Meanor, Esquire (Argued), J. Barry Cocoziello, Esquire, Steven R. Tombalakian, Esquire, Podvey, Sachs, Meanor, Catenacci, Hildner & Cocoziello, a Professional Corporation, Newark, NJ, for Appellee, Caldwell Trucking PRP Group.

Before: NYGAARD, AMBRO and WEIS, Circuit Judges.


OPINION

WEIS, Circuit Judge.

In this appeal we conclude that the text of a retention of liabilities provision in a stock purchase agreement requires assumption of CERCLA responsibilities by the seller, rather than simply indemnification. We also decide that prejudgment interest and the cost of an experimental treatment process are reasonable in a contribution suit under CERCLA section 113. 42 U.S.C. § 9613.

I.

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