POTTER V. FIRESTONE TIRE AND RUBBER CO.
863 P.2d 795 (1993)
NATURE OF THE CASE: Firestone (D) sought review of an affirmance by the Court of Appeals
of the trial court's award in favor of Potter (P) on their claims for negligent and
intentional infliction of emotional distress. Ps were awarded damages for their fear of
cancer, which included punitive damages, but the award for future medical monitoring was
reversed.
FACTS: D operated a tire manufacturing plant near Salinas. D sent large quantities of
liquid waste containing a combination of semi-liquid toxic chemicals to the local landfill
despite assurances it was not doing so. D openly and knowingly violated all types of waste
disposal laws. Ps owned property and lived adjacent to the dump. Ps discovered that toxic
chemicals had contaminated their domestic water wells. The chemicals included: benzene;
toluene; chloroform; 1,1-dichloroethene; methylene chloride; tetrachloroethene;
1,1,1-trichloroethane; trichloroethene; and vinyl chloride. Of these, both benzene and vinyl
chloride are known to be human carcinogens. Ps sued D for damages and declaratory relief
alleging negligence, negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and strict
liability/ultrahazardous activity. The court found that D was negligent; that negligent and
intentional infliction of emotional distress were established; and that D's conduct was an
ultrahazardous activity that would subject D to strict liability for resulting damages.
Judgment was entered in favor of Ps. Ps were awarded damages totaling $800,000 for their
lifelong fear of cancer and resultant emotional distress. The court awarded damages totaling
$142,975 as the present value of the costs of such monitoring for cancer, based on Ps' life
expectancies. The court also awarded plaintiffs damages totaling $269,500 for psychiatric
illness and the cost of treating such illness, as well as damages totaling $108,100 for the
general disruption of their lives and the invasion of their privacy. Finally, the court
awarded punitive damages totaling $2.6 million based on D's conscious disregard for the
rights and safety of others in dumping its toxic wastes at the landfill after 1977. The
Court of Appeal reversed the awards for medical monitoring costs, as well as a post judgment
order directing D to pay costs and interest, but otherwise affirmed the judgment. The court
reversed the awards for medical monitoring costs because Ps failed to establish that cancer
was reasonably certain to occur, and did not address the challenge to the amount of those
awards. The court affirmed the amount of the compensatory damages award and found the
punitive damage award proper. D appealed.
ISSUE:
RULE OF LAW:
HOLDING AND DECISION:
LEGAL ANALYSIS:
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