Underground Storage Tank Litigation: Recovering Losses Due to Failure
Commercial and industrial facilities
from gas stations and dry cleaners to oil refineries have long used underground storage tanks for a variety of purposes, mainly to keep dangerous chemicals convenient for use. Unfortunately, over time the seals in underground tanks break down and in many cases, the property is sold without removal or adequate maintenance of an underground tank, which might not even be completely empty. In some situations, the presence of one or more tanks on a given property is not even disclosed to the buyer. The Sher Law Firm provides expert underground storage tank litigation for cases like these.
Your Legal Options for Underground Storage Tank Litigation
If you need legal advice about problems related to contamination of soil or water due to the failure of an underground storage tank
Toxic chemicals can travel considerable distances from ruptured or compromised tanks through soil formations or underground water systems; the first sign of contamination is often a suspicious odor in a private well or pond on agricultural land. In recent years, improper design or installation of underground tanks to store the wastewater generated in hydrocarbon fracking operations has emerged as a serious problem in densely populated areas as the greater Houston or Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex areas.
The Sher Law Firm, PLLC, is skilled with the investigation and proof of civil claims related to environmental contamination of many different kinds, including problems caused by improper storage tank maintenance. We adapt our legal strategies to the demands of the case at hand. In some situations, the greatest challenge is to identify the source of the pollution in areas where many different operators could be responsible for your losses. In other cases, the immediate legal problem is to respond effectively to a remediation notice from state or federal environmental authorities while preserving and pursuing indemnification rights from polluters or insurers.
Litigation Strategies Matched to the Demands of Your Case
Sometimes the right approach is to sue a seller of contaminated property for fraud or negligent nondisclosure if a known risk of contamination from underground storage tanks was withheld from the buyer.
Andrew Sher is an AV Preeminent* trial attorney with experience in the litigation of complex environmental claims dating back to 1994. Included in Texas Monthly Magazine as a Texas Super Lawyer, Mr. Sher can develop and execute the right strategy for your case.
To learn more about your right to recover damages for property losses and cleanup costs related to another party’s failure to properly use or maintain underground storage tanks, contact The Sher Law Firm, PLLC, in Houston fora free consultation.
Based in Houston, The Sher Law Firm, PLLC, serves the needs of clients in complex environmental, oil and gas, personal injury and commercial litigation throughout Texas, including greater Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, El Paso, the Rio Grande Valley, the Texas Panhandle, Midland/Odessa and Lubbock. We also handle litigation in other states through association with local counsel in California, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.
