 |
Richard F. Ricci is Chair of the firm's Environmental Law and Litigation Department. Listed among The Best Lawyers in America in the environmental law section, Mr. Ricci works on a broad range of matters, including, Superfund and toxic tort litigation, injunctive and penalty proceedings, construction, environmental, insurance coverage and commercial litigation. He served on an audit team appointed by a former Governor of New Jersey to investigate the State's $500 million auto emissions testing contract as part of an effort to root out waste and mismanagement in state government. Mr. Ricci was also featured in the 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 issues of Super Lawyers in the environmental/land use section of the publication, and included in the 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 editions of Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.
The following are some of his successful representations:
- Representing a major oil company in obtaining summary judgment compelling the purchaser of an oil refinery to comply with the terms of an asset purchase agreement
- Acting as lead trial counsel for a specialty chemical manufacturer in a four-week environmental clean-up cost recovery case in Little Rock, Arkansas
- Serving as lead counsel for a publicly-traded real estate investment trust in a fraud/professional liability suit arising from the unlawful construction of a building in federally-regulated wetlands
- Acting as lead counsel on behalf of a large public university in the remediation of a DDT contaminated former air strip (including the bidding, contract negotiation and execution of a 20,000 ton soil removal action) and a subsequent cost-recovery action against the State of New Jersey
- Acting as lead trial counsel in a three-week Superfund cost-recovery case in East St. Louis, Illinois
- Acting as lead trial counsel in a four-week Superfund cost-recovery/municipal liability case in Central Islip, New York
- Serving as group counsel in the investigation and remediation of a number of federal and state lead waste disposal sites
- Representing a construction company in the resolution of multiple lien and payment claims arising from the construction of a multi-million dollar warehouse
- Representing a large public university in the successful prosecution of multiple construction defect claims relating to the construction of an athletic facility
Mr. Ricci has successfully litigated cases in Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania, as well as New Jersey.
Reported Decisions
- AMW Materials Testing, Inc., v. Town of Babylon, 584 F.3d 436 (2nd Cir. 2009)
- AMW Materials Testing v. Town of Babylon, 348 F. Supp. 2d 4 (E.D.N.Y. 2004)
- American Trucking Associations, Inc. v. Whitman, 136 F. Supp. 2d 343. (D.N.J. 2001) affirmed 437 F.3d 313 (3rd Cir. 2006)
- United States v. Vertac Chemical Corp., 966 F. Supp. 1491 (E.D. Ark. 1997)
- Rutgers, the State University v. Grad Partnership, 269 N.J. Super 142, (App. Div. 1993)
Presentations
- Planning & Development of Brownfields - How to Get These Sites Done, Tri-State Best Practices in Brownfield Redevelopment Conference, March 14, 2006
- River Sediment Remediation and Other Megasites: the Next Big Thing, Chemistry Council of New Jersey Fall Regulatory Conference, November 21, 2002
- Environmental Case Law Update, Chemistry Council of New Jersey Fall Regulatory Conference, November 15, 2001
- Environmental Case Law Update, Chemical Industry Council of New Jersey Annual Meeting, May 9, 2000
- Liability Exposure Beyond Traditional RCRA Facilities, CHWMEG, Inc. Annual Meeting, April 14, 1999
- Environmental Case Law Update, Chemical Industry Council of New Jersey Annual Meeting, January 26, 1999
- Environmental Case Law Update, Chemical Industry Council of New Jersey Annual Meeting, April 28, 1998
|
NRD - The New Jersey Experiment
ABA Environmental Litigation and Toxic Torts Committee Newsletter, April 2007
Richard Ricci,
Adam Lavinthal
|
|
New Jersey Takes the Lead On Chemical Plant Security
New Jersey Law Journal, February 6, 2006
Richard Ricci
|
|
Interpreting Recent NRD and Brownfield Amendments
Commerce Magazine, April 2005
Richard Ricci
|
View More...
|
Lowenstein Sandler is highlighted for successfully defending the town of Babylon, New York and the North Amityville, New York Volunteer Fire Company in a recent case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In AMW Materials Testing, Inc. v. Town of Babylon, 584 F.3d 436 (2d Cir. 2009), the Court held that the CERCLA statutory scheme provides immunity to firefighters and emergency first responders from CERCLA liability arising from actions taken in response to emergencies relating to the release of hazardous substances, unless they act with gross negligence or intentional misconduct. The Lowenstein team consisted of Richard Ricci, Priya Masilamani and Alyson Powell.,
Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, February 1, 2010
|
|
Richard F. Ricci reacts to a recent Mercer County decision dismissing a claim by the State of New Jersey for natural resource damages arising from the contamination of groundwater.,
Bergen Record, October 2, 2007
|
|
|
 |
University of Notre Dame School of Law
(J.D., 1982),
magna cum laude, Associate Editor, University of Notre Dame Law Review
|
|
Duquesne University
(B.A., 1979),
cum laude
|
|
Rhode Island
|
|
New Jersey
|
- New Jersey State Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Environmental Editorial Advisory Board, Law360
| |