United States v. A & N Cleaners
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
854 F. Supp. 229 (1994)
The property owners purchased land already leased to a dry-cleaning business that had been dumping hazardous condensate waste into a floor drain connected to a dry well, and although they purchased after most of that disposal occurred, they later learned of nearby well-field contamination publicized in local news, signed an access agreement allowing environmental agencies to investigate the source, yet never inquired into their tenant's specific waste-disposal practices before the government sued them for cleanup costs.
Whether, under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, an innocent landowner may be liable for cleanup costs related to contamination from the property if the disposal of hazardous waste occurred before the landowner purchased the property and the landowner had no reason to know that any hazardous waste was disposed of on the property.