California Federal Judge Finds Several Companies Liable For Smelter Pollution

( August 31, 2023, 1:52 PM EDT) -- LOS ANGELES — Following a bench trial, a California federal judge reached a verdict on liability and concluded that several companies are prima facie liable under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and California’s Hazardous Substance Account Act (HSAA) for pollution released from a secondary lead smelter that contaminated the nearby air and groundwater....