United States v. Atlantic Research Corp.

551 U.S. 128 (2007)

Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
U
From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

United States v. Atlantic Research Corp.

United States Supreme Court
551 U.S. 128 (2007)

Play video

Facts

Atlantic Research Corporation (Atlantic) (plaintiff) leased property at a naval ammunition depot operated by the U.S. Department of Defense (defendant) where it retrofitted rocket motors. Using a high-pressure water spray, Atlantic removed pieces of propellant from the motors and then burned the pieces. The runoff generated by the burning contaminated the soil and groundwater at the site. Atlantic cleaned the site at its own expense and then filed suit against the United States to recover a portion of the cleanup costs under §§ 107(a) and 113(f) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The district court granted the government’s motion to dismiss, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s holding in Cooper Industries, Inc. v. Aviall Services, Inc., 543 U.S. 157 (2004). In Cooper Industries, the Court held that a private potentially responsible party (PRP) could not recoup CERCLA-related costs from other PRPs, like the federal government. Atlantic appealed. The court of appeals reversed and held that § 107(a)(4)(B) provided Atlantic with a cause of action. The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari to clarify its holding in Cooper Industries.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Thomas, 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 807,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  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.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 807,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 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 807,000 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
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 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

Casebooks

Environmental Law

Key Terms