John D. North, a partner in the firm’s Litigation Department, is on the faculty for a live webcast on “Environmental Lender Liability: Identifying Risks and Opportunities.” The program, to be presented on Tuesday, September 26, 2017 from 3:00pm – 4:30pm (ET), is sponsored by the Knowledge Group.
Under the Federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), lenders acquiring a contaminated property through foreclosure are exempted from the perils of environmental liability. The exemption, which is commonly referred to as the Secured Creditor Exemption (SCE), creates a safe harbor for lenders against the CERCLA cleanup liability. However, a lender may only be covered and protected from environmental liability under the SCE if it only holds the contaminated property as security for debt, and not for the facility’s long-term profit.
This program will provide an in-depth analysis of the fundamentals and all important issues in Environmental Lender Liability. Mr. North and his fellow speakers will explore a number of key topics, including:
- An Overview of Environmental Lender Liability
- The Secured Creditor Exemption
- Liability Under the CERCLA Statute
- Scope and Limitations of CERCLA
- Identifying Risks and Common Pitfalls
- Recent Trends, Developments, and Updates
Mr. North focuses his practice in litigation, with an emphasis on trial practice. He has tried jury and non-jury cases in state and federal courts, including over 75 jury cases to verdict. He is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney. Mr. North’s practice concentrates in commercial and banking litigation, particularly in matters involving negotiable instruments and financial fraud. Mr. North has represented banks in class actions alleging claims under New Jersey and federal consumer legislation. A significant portion of Mr. North’s practice is devoted to the defense of catastrophic injury and other high exposure cases in the areas of negligence, public entity liability, construction, and professional liability, including the defense of attorneys, accountants and insurance brokers. He also maintains a personal injury practice limited to the representation of plaintiffs in medical malpractice and other cases involving significant injuries and complex liability issues. Mr. North is the author of the evidence treatise A Trial Lawyer’s Strategic Guide to the New Jersey Rules of Evidence, and is the only New Jersey lawyer selected as a principal author of Business and Commercial Litigation in Federal Courts, contributing the chapter in the treatise devoted to Medical Malpractice.
Additional program information and registration details at: http://bit.ly/2tprsyi