Based in California, Verdict Resources, Inc. is one of a very small number of firms with expertise in environmental liability investigations, with case experience across the United States and Canada.   Our staff have been investigating pollution liability disputes since 1982, both in criminal and civil matters.  In fact, VRI's founder Larry Troxel, a HAZMAT investigations expert, directed the investigation for the first felony conviction in of a hazardous waste transporter in California. 

The industries in which we perform pollution liability investigations include aerospace, chemical, electrical, insurance, mining, nuclear, petroleum, rubber, and many others.

Reasons for Performing an Environmental Investigation
Conducting the Environmental Investigation
Our Specific Qualifications

To identify CERCLA liability, we have developed a systematic approach for conducting land use histories that employs a mix of traditional and creative techniques, leaving no stone unturned:

1. Document research - Our  investigators are familiar with the federal, state, and local regulatory agencies that hold site specific information, and we regularly conduct research at them for site contamination and toxic tort issues.

• Public agencies: Obtaining records from assorted government agencies is crucial in a Potentially Responsible Party Search or an environmental due diligence, and we know agencies that have exclusive data, i.e., Valuation Maps at the California Board of Equalization.  
• Private repositories: Often overlooked museums and archives can yield information located nowhere else, like the MSDS’s at Vermont Safety Information Resources, Inc.
• Academic institutions: Certain universities and colleges are unique in the collections they possess; for example, the historical annual business reports archived at the University of Alabama.

2. Witness investigation - The practice of identifying, locating, and interviewing witnesses has proved to be extremely effective in completing a site history or identifying the source and cause of contamination.  This is a core component of a PRP Search, and may include former owners and employees, waste haulers, regulatory personnel, etc.


3. Corporate successor and parent liability - A Potentially Responsible Party that operated on-site years ago may no longer conduct business under the same name, or may have been acquired by another company. Tracing a company’s mergers and acquisitions often leads to a different company, which may also own the liability of a business purchased decades ago. Associated asset investigative tasks address the viability of a PRP.


4. Liability Apportionment - We support cost allocation efforts by identifying and quantifying waste contributions, and by evaluating information obtained during the investigation and research.

• Familiarity with environmental laws and pertinent regulatory procedures
• Experienced in venues across the U.S. and Canada
  
• Knowledge of industrial and commercial processes
  
• Familiarity with waste stream management practices
  
• Hazwoper training, for access to hazardous sites
  
• AHERA certification, for asbestos sampling
  
• Registered Environmental Assessor
  
• Instructor of environmental investigation courses for government and private industry personnel

Please contact us for more information.

"You. . . enabled us to achieve a major victory in a complex, forty-six count, six weeks' environmental crimes trial." 

Richard A. Regnier, Esq.