Castaic, CA – January 7, 2025
A new lawsuit was filed today against Chiquita Canyon, LLC, parent company Chiquita Canyon, Inc., and others over the companies’ negligence in operating their landfill in Castaic, California, which caused a catastrophic condition that resulted in releases hazardous emissions into the surrounding communities. The lawsuit is filed on behalf of more than 100 plaintiffs who reside or own property in neighborhoods near the landfill and were harmed because of the defendants’ negligence.
The lawsuit alleges defendants knew or should have known about temperatures and subsurface conditions at the landfill since 2019. Due to their failures to address these issues, a significant subsurface oxidation reaction occurred in May 2022, releasing noxious odors, toxic landfill gases, and hazardous air contaminants into nearby communities. Moreover, the defendants negligently managed the response to the reaction, failing to stop the reaction or mitigate its impact on the nearby communities.
Damages include the cost of remediating and/or mitigating the effects of the emissions on their properties, the loss of use of their properties, the loss in value and marketability of their properties, and other economic damages. Additionally, constant exposure to hazardous air contaminants has caused plaintiffs to experience physical discomfort, injuries, emotional distress, and mental anguish. Additionally, plaintiffs are seeking punitive damages based on defendants’ extreme recklessness in operating the landfill.
“This catastrophic event, caused by defendants’ negligence, was preventable and caused local residents to experience significant harms,” said Knut Johnson, attorney for the plaintiffs and Senior Counsel at Singleton Schreiber. “We’re seeking justice for the wide-ranging impacts that this preventable, negligent incident that affected hundreds of individuals in the area.”
Causes of action include trespass, private nuisance, negligence, negligence per se, negligent failure to warn, unjust enrichment, and civil conspiracy.
Singleton Schreiber is a client-centered law firm, specializing in mass torts/multidistrict litigation, fire litigation, personal injury/wrongful death, civil rights, environmental law, and sexual abuse/trafficking. Over the last decade, the firm has recovered more than $3 billion for clients who have been harmed and sought justice. The firm also has the largest fire litigation practice in the country, having represented over 20,000 victims of wildfire, most notably serving plaintiffs in litigation related to the 2023 Maui wildfires, the Colorado Marshall wildfire, the Washington Gray wildfire, and others.
