Monsanto Must Face San Diego Port’s Nuisance Claims on PCBs (1)

Monsanto Co. must defend at trial public nuisance claims by the Port of San Diego over PCB contamination, after the Southern District of California rejected standing and other arguments Thursday.

Monsanto was the sole manufacturer of PCBs in the U.S. from 1935 to 1979. The port, along with the city of San Diego and other west coast cities, alleged the company promoted the use and sales of PCBs while knowing they presented a health risk and “were causing widespread contamination of the environment.”

The court rejected the company’s assertion that the port lacks standing to pursue public nuisance claims because ...