Atlantic Richfield Co. v. American Airlines, Inc.

836 F. Supp. 763 (1993)

From our private database of 46,400+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Atlantic Richfield Co. v. American Airlines, Inc.

United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma
836 F. Supp. 763 (1993)

  • Written by Tanya Munson, JD

Facts

In 1988, Atlantic Richfield Company (Atlantic) (plaintiff) entered into a consent decree with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under which Atlantic agreed to perform cleanup at the Sand Springs Petrochemical Complex Superfund Site (the site) and reimburse the EPA for its oversight costs under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Atlantic subsequently filed response cost and contribution claims against approximately 400 potentially responsible parties (PRPs). The majority of the claims were settled based on volume contribution. Atlantic had asked the court to apply the pro tanto credit rule to any future recovery against the PRPs that had not yet settled. The nonsettling PRPs (defendants) argued that the proportionate credit rule should apply to any future recovery. The magistrate judge concluded that the decision to apply either the pro tanto or the proportionate approach is left to the court’s discretion on a case-by-case basis to reach an equitable result and further the goals of CERCLA. A fairness hearing was conducted, and the magistrate concluded that because Atlantic agreed to perform a cleanup that was originally the burden of the United States, equity dictates that Atlantic should be afforded the same consideration of settlement as the United States would have under the pro tanto approach. The magistrate granted Atlantic’s motion, and the nonsettling PRPs appealed to the district court.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Brett, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 832,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,400 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,400 briefs - keyed to 994 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership