Supreme Court of Pennsylvania December 10, 1996, ARGUED ; May 21, 1997, DECIDED No. 0046 M.D. Appeal Docket 1996 Appellees, Redland Soccer Club, et al, (collectively the Redland Plaintiffs) brought this private civil action against Appellants, the Department of the Army and the Department of Defense of the United States of America (collectively the Army), pursuant to the Pennsylvania Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act, Act of October 18, 1988, P.L. 756, No. 108, as amended, 35 P.S. § 6020.101, et seq. (HSCA). The Redland Plaintiffs allege that the Army's disposal of hazardous materials at a site formerly part of the New Cumberland Army Depot (Depot) in south-central Pennsylvania caused them harm. They are seeking, among other things, a medical monitoring trust [***2] fund and attorney fees. The Court of Common Pleas of York County granted summary judgment in favor of the Army, and the Superior Court affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded the case for further proceedings. For the reasons that follow, we affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY The Depot encompasses more than 800 acres of land located approximately five miles south of Harrisburg in Fairview Township, York County. From 1917 until sometime in the 1950's, the Army used four to five acres of a fourteen-acre [*183] tract in the southeastern corner of the Depot as a landfill to dispose of various kinds of waste. After closing the landfill in the 1950's, the Army covered it with a layer of soil and coal ashes. In 1976, the Army transferred ownership of the fourteen-acre tract to Fairview Township. Fairview Township employees converted the tract into Marsh Run Park (Park) by grading the site and adding a layer of topsoil. Soccer fields were placed in the Park, and Redland Soccer Club and its members used the fields for soccer practices and games from 1982 until 1987. The Army began environmental testing in the Park in April of 1987, as part of [***3] the Defense Environmental Restoration Program. After preliminary testing indicated that hazardous substances were present, the Army closed the Park in August of 1987. Further testing revealed that the Park was contaminated with numerous toxic materials, including volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds, and metals. Subsequently, the Army began a program to remediate the contamination. Full case includes Shepard's, Headnotes, Legal Analytics from Lex Machina, and more. 548 Pa. 178 *; 696 A.2d 137 **; 1997 Pa. LEXIS 1048 *** REDLAND SOCCER CLUB, INC., RICHARD V. SPONG, SR., RICHARD V. SPONG, JR., GEOFFREY T. MORROW, MEREDITH S. MORROW, ROBERT E. KANE, HERBERT D. MYERS, DAVID A. KUPP, PATRICIA K. DORWART, LARRY R. SMART, CRYSTAL SMART, BRETNI BRINK, RYAN BRINK, JOSEPH BRTALIK, CAROLE G. BRTALIK, JOSEPH J. BRTALIK, BRIAN BRTALIK, WENDY BRTALIK, THEODORE F. BURD, DIANE M. BURD, CHRISTOPHER T. BURD, DEWITT J. CLINE, JR., JAN M. CLINE, ERIC J. CLINE, JEROMY J. CLINE, RONALD W. DANNER, DANIELLE M. DANNER, CRAIG A. DANNER, STEVEN W. HAAS, IRMA L. RODGERS-HAAS, ANTHONY M. RODGERS, NICOLE C. RODGERS, LAWRENCE E. HAGER, RUTH A. HAGER, SAMUEL HAGER, BENJAMIN HAGER, SHAWN HAGER, EDWARD C. HOCKENBERRY, MARY L. HOCKENBERRY, BRETT R. HOCKENBERRY, ROGER L. HOCKENBERRY, PATRICIA D. HOCKENBERRY, KERIC L. HOCKENBERRY, KODI S. HOCKENBERRY, KLINT D. HOCKENBERRY, DAVID G. HOOPER, PRISCILLA G. HOOPER, DAVID G. HOOPER, II, JOHN H. KNAUB, DEBORAH J. KNAUB, DEREK J. KNAUB, SEAN M. KNAUB, THOMAS R. KRAUSE, ROBERT A. KRAUSE, RICHARD H. LEBO, DONNA LEBO, TRISHA LEBO, KRISTINA LEBO, RALPH E. MCCARTY, GALE P. MCCARTY, JOSHUA H. MCCARTY, LUCAS P. MCCARTY, JAMES P. MEYERS, KIM J. MEYERS, SAMANTHA MEYERS, BRETT MEYERS, THOMAS M. MORROW, GREGORY M. MORROW, JACK E. MUTH, KATHLEEN L. MUTH, ROBERT C. MUTH, JOHN A. NACE, JR., LINDA M. NACE, MICHAEL NACE, ROBERT NACE, KENNETH E. NACE, PAMELA R. NACE, JEREMY M. NACE, KEVIN E. NACE, MELISSA A. NACE, DEAN G. NEWHOUSE, NORMA J. NEWHOUSE, MARTIN NEWHOUSE, ERIC NEWHOUSE, BENJAMIN NEWHOUSE, ALICE O'NEILL, PETER P. O'NEILL, PETER O'NEILL, PATRICK O'NEILL, PAUL O'NEILL, PATRICIA A. PALM, DYLAN T. BUCKWALTER, MICHELLE A. BUCKWALTER, ROBERT J. PONTIUS, CINDY L. PONTIUS, JAY PONTIUS, DEBRA S. POPP, ANDREW J. POPP, THOMAS M. RADOS, WILLIAM P. REHM, JR., KIMBERLY A. REHM, DAVID A. REHM, ANDAR A. REHM, DEON J. REHM, MICHELLE D. REHM, KEN RIBBLE, SUSAN RIBBLE, SCOTT RIBBLE, MARK RIBBLE, NEVIN C. SCHENCK, JR., LISA L. SHENCK, NATHAN S. SHENCK, AARON M. SHENCK, REBECCA SHENCK, BRADLEY SHIRK, JULIA A. SPONG, NATHAN M. SPONG, JOELLE L. SPONG, BARRY L. STONE, MATTHEW D. STONE, COREY J. STROMAN, DONNA L. SZOSZOREK, SHANNON M. SZOSZOREK, SHAYNA M. SZOSZOREK, EUGENE TORBEK, ERIK P. TORBEK, DONALD WILLIAMSON, ELIZABETH M. WILLIAMSON, MICHAEL WILLIAMSON, WILLIAM B. WIRT, PAMELA A. WIRT, CHRISTINE E. WIRT, KEVIN M. WIRT, TIMOTHY B. WIRT, BRYAN C. WIRT, BURLIN COVERT, JOSEPH DORWART, III, JOSEPH DORWART IV, ALICIA DORWART, BRENT DORWART, JACK H. HERSHBERGER, JR., JUNE HERSHBERGER, CARL SMART, JEFFREY SMART, GLEN DILLER, DALE KAHLER, TERRENCE L. KEMBERLING, R. ROBERT MCCOLLUM, WILBER YORTY, APPELLEES v. DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY AND DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, APPELLANTS Prior History: [***1] Appeal from the Order of the Superior Court entered on July 14, 1995, at 0338HBG95, affirming in part, reversing in part, and remanding the Order of the Court of Common Pleas of York County entered on May 5, 1994, at 92 SU 05339-01. Disposition: The Order of the Superior Court is reversed concerning special medical monitoring and affirmed concerning attorney fees. Case remanded to the trial court. monitoring, exposure, hazardous, recommended, cancer, adult, site, prevailing, disease, prescribed, Soccer, contaminated, cleanup Civil Procedure, Summary Judgment, Motions for Summary Judgment, General Overview, Entitlement as Matter of Law, Appropriateness, Genuine Disputes, Materiality of Facts, Environmental Law, Hazardous Wastes & Toxic Substances, Hazardous Materials Transportation Safety & Security Reauthorization Act, Torts, Commencement & Prosecution, Survival of Actions, Particular Actions, Toxic Torts, Costs, Costs Recoverable, Witnesses, Types of Damages, Costs & Attorney FeesRedland Soccer Club v. Dep't of the Army
Opinion
CORE TERMS