Christopher J. Petrovic, Janet Hunter, Elizabeth Marie Ramirez, Mike Richards, Jimmie L. Van Bibber, and Barbara Chappell, Individually and as Class Representatives, Appellants, and City of Independence, City of Sugar Creek, Jean Stewart, Lyle Jackson, Marcella Jackson, John Brockman, Elberta Brockman, Dorothy J. Brockman, Billy Copeland, Virginia Copeland, Bill Stevens, Janeth Stevens, Thomas Larkin, Janey Sturgis, Michael A. Rodak, Michael J. Carr, Lucille Carr, Helen C. Butkovich, Diane Hall, Paul A. Hedrick, Joyce Hedrick, Joseph D. Kenney, John W. Kimak, Nancy Kimak, Joseph M. Mikula, Sue Ellen Mikula, Mark O'Renick, Debbie O'Renick, Dan Salva, Amy Salva, Joseph M. Salva, Lora L. Salva, Vernon Steinmeyer, Betty Steinmeyer, and Charles Woods, Appellees, and William Bailey, Vernon Baker, Debbie Bazzell, David Beebe, Nancy Beebe, Robert Behler, Ernest Bell, Lourine Bell, Robert Bledsoe, Debra Bledsoe, Gerald Boyle, Edward Buford, Jessie Buford, William Buford, Norie Buford, Billy Burke, Ila Burke, Doras Butkovich, Fabian Butkovich, Filip Butkovich, Gladys Butkovich, Joseph Butkovich, T.J. Butkovich, Dragica Butkovich, Philip Campbell, Catherine Campos, David Canzonere, Caroline Canzonere, Joseph Carter, Russell Clark, James Coffey, Susan Coffey, Jean Colona, Don Cook, Darel Cornelius, Debbie Cornelius, P. Jean Cornelius, Mark Cosgrove, Jerry Creek, Julie Creek, Irene Crnkovich, Michael Dale, Judy Dale, Richard Deihl, James Devasher, Stephanie Devasher, Emil Dykal, Claudia Dykal, Harold Echols, Sr.; and Karolyn Elliott, Jerry Elliott, Janet Elliott, Cheryl England, Herbert Fillmore, Lulua Fillmore, Larry Garland, Marjorie Garland, Frank Gibbs, John Grayham, Charlotte Grayham, William Green, Jacqueline Green, Charles Greer, Lynn Greer, Bill Haman, Carolyn Haman, Wilbur Hamilton, Helen Hamilton, Richard Hand, Marcia Haworth, Maxine Hedges, Helen Hedrick, John S. Hedrick, Dixie Hedrick, John B. Hedrick, Mary Hedrick, Joseph Hedrick, Jo Ann Hedrick, Rita Hardy Hortenstine, Saul Imiquez, Daniela Imiquez, June Jackson, Richard Jarrett, Margaret Jarrett, Deanna Kennedy, Mary King Kerns, Joe King, William James King, James William King, Joseph Kipper, Gary Krohm, Pearl Krohm, Ada Kulp, Marvyn Lawson, Clara Lewis, Hildred Light, Sara Mace, James Mansell, Mary Ann Mansell, Betty Jo McCord, Park McClune, II; and Othello McDavitt, John Mikulich, Sandra Mikulich, Linda Mikulich, Elizabeth Miller, David Muncy, Esther Muncy, Timothy James Myers, Frank Noch, Betty Noch, Jerry Novak, Joseph Olivarez, Janice Olivarez, John Owings, Karen Owings, Hoyt Palmer, Mary Palmer, Carole Park, William Parson, Ruth Patterson, Frank Peljae, Doris Peljae, Albert Petroski, William R. Platt, Loye Rains, Dorothy Rains, Ray Ryan, June Adele Rhoads, Leonard Richards, Melissa Richards, Leonard Riley, John Rittel, Roze Rittel, John Roach, Charles Rogers, Janice Roper, Mike Roper, Antonia Roper, Mike E. Roper, Ann Roper, Peter J. Roper, R.J. Roper, Jr.; and Mary Rozgay, Mireille Rundell, Clifford Sanders, Margaret Sanders, Susan Shelby, Juanita Slayton, Daniel Slayton, Jr.; and Terry Slayton, Larry Smith, Mildred Smith, Zita Stanard, F.W. Stanger, Lewayne Starks, Clara Stephenson, Albert Stovich, Laverna Stovich, Lex Swofford, Ellen Swofford, Ronald Taylor, Ottilie Thompson, Buelah Tolliver, Luva Vaughan, Karl Vaughn, Sherralyn Vaughn, Clifford Weakley, Angela Weikal, Pamela White, Anna Wix, Kim Wollenberg, Beula Fay Worley, Clarence Worley, Jerry Wrabec, Leonard Wrabec, Mary Wrabec, Steven Yslas, Elizabeth Yslas, Jerry Zevecke, Janet Zevecke, John Zevecke, Steve Zevecke, and Janet Zevecke, Appellants, v. Amoco Oil Company, Appellee. Thomas Hart Benton Group, Ozark Chapter, Sierra Club, Amicus Curiae on Behalf of Appellants., 200 F.3d 1140
Summary
Plaintiffs brought a class action against defendant oil company in which they sought injunctive and monetary relief for pollution to their property under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), 42 U.S.C.S. §§ 9601-9675. Plaintiffs argued that the district court erred in finding that the settlement agreement was fair, adequate, and reasonable in granting defendant's motion for summary judgment. The court of appeals affirmed the district court in all respects. The court found the district court's approval of the settlement was appropriate where the district court had considered the relative merits of plaintiffs' claims and all relevant matters in basing their conclusion. The court affirmed summary judgment on finding plaintiffs' argument on appeal, that not all of the contaminants involved in the case fell within CERCLA's petroleum exclusion, was not supported by evidence in the record. Accordingly, the court affirmed the judgment of the ...