Sussman Shank
Transcription
Sussman Shank
Sussman Shank llp attorneys Contractual Tools for Allocating Liability Patrick G. Rowe 2016 1000 SW Broadway, Suite 1400 Portland Oregon 97205 | 503.227.1111 | sussmanshank.com CONTRACTUAL TOOLS FOR MITIGATING & ALLOCATING ENVIRONMENTAL RISK § GENERAL RULE: § Seller who owned property during release of contamination strictly liable for environmental contamination and will remain liable after selling property § Buyer of real property becomes strictly liable for any contamination on the property that pre-dated the sale, even if it was caused by the seller sussmanshank.com 2 SELLER REPRESENTATIONS § Purpose: Protection for purchaser or lender. Can affect or be affected by the due diligence process § Some typical Representations § Current and past compliance with environmental laws § Disclosure of any pending or threatened regulatory actions, requests for information, etc. § Identify known past releases § Identify current or prior potential sources of contamination – e.g., ASTs, USTs, PCBcontaining equipment § Knowledge qualifiers – reps based on “seller’s knowledge” sussmanshank.com 3 “AS-IS PROVISIONS” sussmanshank.com 4 “AS-IS PROVISIONS” sussmanshank.com 5 “AS-IS PROVISIONS” sussmanshank.com 6 “AS-IS PROVISIONS” § “It is hereby agreed that [other than conditions noted in the Representations section] the premises are sold in an "as is" condition and Buyers hereby agree to accept said property in its present condition and without any warranty as to the condition thereof.” § Courts consistently require that in order to contractually allocate/shift environmental liability that intention must be clearly stated sussmanshank.com 7 “AS-IS PROVISIONS” § Tips for a strong “As Is” provision: 1. Expressly allocate environmental liability in clear, unequivocal language 2. Include a buyer’s signed statement re: environmental conditions 3. Allow reasonable time for the buyer to inspect, survey and conduct environmental site assessments sussmanshank.com 8 INDEMNIFICATION PROVISIONS § CERCLA § 107(e): § “No indemnification, hold harmless, or similar agreement or conveyance shall be effective to transfer from the owner or operator of any vessel or facility or from any person who may be liable for a release or threat of release under this section, to any other person the liability imposed under this section. Nothing in this subsection shall bar any agreement to insure, hold harmless, or indemnify a party to such agreement for any liability under this section. 42 U.S.C. § 9607(e) § Practical Effect: § Indemnified party remains liable to the government / can’t require government to pursue the party providing the indemnification. BUT § Indemnified party can seek indemnification from the other party if government pursues the indemnified party sussmanshank.com 9 INDEMNIFICATION PROVISIONS § Scenario 1 § SALES AGREEMENT DATED JANUARY 24, 1986: “Seller will also indemnify purchaser for the cost of additional cleanup, including penalties or fines, required by DEQ or any Governmental Agency during the next ten years, for existing contamination” sussmanshank.com 10 INDEMNIFICATION PROVISIONS sussmanshank.com 11 INDEMNIFICATION PROVISIONS § Scenario 2 § “For a period of 5 years from the date of Closing [Seller] hereby agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Purchaser . . . from and against liabilities, claim, fines, penalties and remedial action costs. . . arising from or relating to the release of Hazardous Material . . . located on the Premises as of the date of Closing.. . . if such release of Hazardous Materials is discovered during Purchaser’s preparation of the site for subsequent development, as a result of any third-party discovery . . . and the release is above the Oregon cleanup standards requiring remedial activity . . .” // § Indemnification included “deductible” of $250,000 and capped Seller’s liability at $4 million sussmanshank.com 12 INDEMNIFICATION PROVISIONS Issue Timelimits Dollarlimits Indemnifica4ontrigger4edto governmentenforcement Tip Partyreceivingtheindemnifica1onshouldmakesurethe1me limitisreasonableinlightoftheirplansforthepropertyand possibledelays Partyreceivingtheindemnifica1onshouldassess“worstcase scenario”costsandmakesurethelimitisreasonableinlightof poten1alcosts Makesurethetermsoftheindemnityareclearwithrespectto whatspecificenvironmentalclaimsorlossesarecovered Doestheindemnitycoverale?erfromthegovernmentormust itbeaformaldemandorComplaint? Doestheindemnifica1onincludeanobliga1ontodefend againstbothgovernmentenforcementandthirdpartyclaims? sussmanshank.com 13 INDEMNIFICATION PROVISIONS Issue Tip Scopeofareacovered Clearlystateareascovered,includingwhetherindemnifica1on coversoff-sitecontamina1on Scopeofcosts Clearlystatecostscovered–includeoff-sitedisposal,a?orney fees,consultantfees,businessinterrup1oncosts? Indemnifica4onsa4sfac4on4edto regulatoryapproval Clearlystatewhatcons1tutesapproval(uncondi1onalNFA, NFAwithdeedrestric1ons?) Indemnifica4ontrigger4edto discoveryof pre-salecontamina4on Expresslystatewhatdocumentsestablishthepre-closing environmentalbaseline sussmanshank.com 14 HOLD BACK PROVISIONS § Holdback - a deferral of payment of some portion of the purchase price. § Example: § Hold Back. “Five Hundred Thousand and No/100 Dollars ($500,000.00) of the Purchase Price shall be held back by the Purchaser (the "Hold Back Amount") pending Seller obtaining and providing to Purchaser a Washington Department of Ecology WDOE [a] “No Further Action” certificate . . .” § Holdback. “On Closing, Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00) of the Purchase Price (the Holdback Amount) shall be retained by the Purchaser and applied by the Purchaser towards any costs that the Purchaser, acting in its sole discretion, incurs in connection with bringing the Property into compliance with Environmental Laws and/or removing Hazardous Substances from the Property” sussmanshank.com 15 ESCROW ARRANGEMENTS § Escrow funds are available to the purchaser or other indemnified parties as needed to fulfill remediation or indemnification obligations § The escrow may be funded by a set-aside from the purchase price or, in the case of a remedial cost-sharing arrangement by a contribution from both parties to the transaction § Administered by an independent sussmanshank.com 16 Owner/Consultant “Aligned Interest” Contract § Environmental consultant retained to conduct due diligence and remediation § Consultant agrees to cap or reduce fees if more contamination needs to be remediated than expected or discovered in areas not identified in due diligence sussmanshank.com 17 Sussman Shank llp attorneys Questions? Thank you for your time! [email protected] 1000 SW Broadway, Suite 1400 Portland Oregon 97205 | 503.227.1111 | sussmanshank.com