PCS NITROGEN INC. v. ASHLEY II OF CHARLESTON LLC

Nos. 11-1662, 11-2087, 11-2099, 11-2104, 11-2297.

714 F.3d 161 (2013)

PCS NITROGEN INCORPORATED, successor through purchase, name change and merger to Columbia Nitrogen Corporation, Defendant and Third Party Plaintiff-Appellant, v. ASHLEY II OF CHARLESTON LLC, Plaintiff-Appellee, Ross Development Corporation; J Holcombe Enterprises LP; Koninklijke DSM NV; DSM Chemicals of North America Incorporated; Robin Hood Container Express Incorporated; All Waste Tank Cleaning Incorporated, f/k/a PSC Container Services, LLC, now known as QualaServices, LLC; J Henry Fair, Jr., Third Party Defendants-Appellees, and James H. Holcombe; City of Charleston, South Carolina, Third Party Defendants. Ross Development Corporation, Third Party Defendant-Appellant, v. PCS Nitrogen Incorporated, successor through purchase, name change and merger to Columbia Nitrogen Corporation, Defendant and Third Party Plaintiff-Appellee, and Ashley II of Charleston LLC, Plaintiff, J Holcombe Enterprises LP; Koninklijke DSM NV; Robin Hood Container Express Incorporated; DSM Chemicals of North America Incorporated; All Waste Tank Cleaning Incorporated; J Henry Fair, Jr.; City of Charleston, South Carolina; James H. Holcombe, Third Party Defendants, PSC Container Services LLC, Defendant. Robin Hood Container Express Incorporated, Third Party Defendant-Appellant, v. PCS Nitrogen Incorporated, successor through purchase, name change and merger to Columbia Nitrogen Corporation, Defendant and Third Party Plaintiff-Appellee, Ashley II of Charleston LLC, Plaintiff-Appellee, Ross Development Corporation; J Holcombe Enterprises LP; Koninklijke DSM NV; DSM Chemicals of North America Incorporated; All Waste Tank Cleaning Incorporated; J Henry Fair, Jr., Third Party Defendants-Appellees, and City of Charleston, South Carolina; James H. Holcombe, Third Party Defendants, PSC Container Services LLC, Defendant. J Holcombe Enterprises LP; J Henry Fair, Jr., Third Party Defendants-Appellants, v. PCS Nitrogen Incorporated, successor through purchase, name change and merger to Columbia Nitrogen Corporation, Defendant and Third Party Plaintiff-Appellee, Ashley II of Charleston LLC, Plaintiff-Appellee, Robin Hood Container Express Incorporated; Ross Development Corporation; Koninklijke DSM NV; DSM Chemicals of North America Incorporated; All Waste Tank Cleaning Incorporated, Third Party Defendants-Appellees, and City of Charleston, South Carolina; James H. Holcombe, Third Party Defendants, PSC Container Services LLC, Defendant. Ashley II of Charleston LLC, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. PCS Nitrogen Incorporated, successor through purchase, name change and merger to Columbia Nitrogen Corporation, Defendant and Third Party Plaintiff-Appellee, Robin Hood Container Express Incorporated; Ross Development Corporation; Koninklijke DSM NV; DSM Chemicals of North America Incorporated; All Waste Tank Cleaning Incorporated; J Holcombe Enterprises LP; J Henry Fair, Jr., Third Party Defendants-Appellees, and City of Charleston, South Carolina; James H. Holcombe, Third Party Defendants, PSC Container Services LLC, Defendant.

United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.

Decided: April 4, 2013.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

ARGUED: Brian J. Murray , Jones Day, Chicago, Illinois, for PCS Nitrogen Incorporated. Thomas Nolen Barefoot , Bethesda, Maryland, for Ashley II of Charleston LLC; Capers Gamewell Barr, III , Barr, Unger & McIntosh, Charleston, South Carolina, for J. Holcombe Enterprises LP and J. Henry Fair, Jr. ; Daniel S. McQueeney, Jr. , Pratt-Tomass Walker, PA, Charleston, South Carolina, for Ross Development Corporation; Timothy William Bouch , Leath, Bouch & Crawford, LLP, Charleston, South Carolina, for Robin Hood Container Express, Incorporated; Lewis Bondurant Jones , King & Spalding, LLP, Atlanta, Georgia, for Koninklijke DSM NV and DSM Chemicals of North America, Incorporated. Jason Scott Luck , Seibels Law Firm, PA, Charleston, South Carolina, for Allwaste Tank Cleaning, Incorporated. ON BRIEF: John B. Williams , Cozen O'Connor, Washington, D.C.; Jennifer L. Swize , Craig I. Chosiad , Jones Day, Washington, D.C., for PCS Nitrogen Incorporated. G. Trenholm Walker , Pratt-Thomas Walker, PA, Charleston, South Carolina; Thomas M. Shelley, III , Rogers, Townsend & Thomas, PC, Columbia, South Carolina, for Ross Development Corporation. Amy E. Melvin , Leath, Bouch & Seekings, LLP, Charleston, South Carolina, for Robin Hood Container Express, Incorporated. Randall J. Butterfield , John L. Fortuna , King & Spalding LLP, Atlanta, Georgia, for Koninklijke DSM NV and DSM Chemicals of North America, Incorporated.

Affirmed by published opinion. Judge MOTZ wrote the opinion, in which Judge KING and Judge DIAZ joined.


OPINION

DIANA GRIBBON MOTZ, Circuit Judge:

These appeals arise from disputes as to liability for cleanup of hazardous substances at a former fertilizer manufacturing site in Charleston, South Carolina. After incurring response costs, Ashley II of Charleston, Inc., the current owner of a portion of the site, brought a cost recovery action against PCS Nitrogen, Inc., under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act ("CERCLA"...

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