This is Part 1 of a series
Thousands of homeowners in the San Fernando Valley neighborhoods of Canoga Park and Winnetka have been granted a class certification by a United States District Court for a case regarding soil and groundwater contamination from a nearby manufacturing facility.
Beginning in the late 1960s, Litton Industries owned and operated a circuit board manufacturing facility at 8020 Deering Ave. in Canoga Park. Contamination at the site was discovered in the late 1990s, and Northrop Grumman acquired Litton Industries and the site in 2001.
Environmental testing conducted since 2003 revealed unsafe levels of known carcinogenic substances on the site – including trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, vinyl chloride and dioxane, which are known to increase the risk of cancer and birth defects. In 2007, testing discovered toxins in an area beyond the facility site.
The original petition for class certification was filed in 2021 on behalf of local homeowners Jed and Alisa Behar, who are the class representatives in the case Behar et al. v. Northrop Grumman Corporation et al. The certification approves the definition of the affected parties or “class” in the lawsuit, and thus who can be compensated for injuries if the lawsuit is won.
The class in this case is defined as property owners within the contamination area, excluding employees of Northrop Grumman and anyone who purchased a home after being informed of the contamination.
The petition alleged that over time, these dangerous toxins emitted from Litton Industries’ operation have leaked from the facility, and through groundwater have contaminated more than 3,200 surrounding properties. The contaminated groundwater plume is believed to be 2.4 miles long and 1.8 miles wide.
It also asserts that after Northrop Grumman acquired the property, it failed to properly contain or remediate the damage. Furthermore, it suggests that despite known contamination levels, Northrop Grumman actively concealed and downplayed the dangers from the nearby residents.
Northrop Grumman argues that they have complied with the requirements from, and their actions have been approved by, the California State Water Resources Control Board.
Neighboring property owners are seeking monetary compensation for losses in property value. They are also calling for Northrop Grumman to mitigate the contamination for the affected parties.
“It is a tragedy that a supposedly responsible company took the easy way out and failed to properly remediate and dispose of materials it knew were dangerous,” said Mark Lanier, lead trial attorney for the class, from The Lanier Law Firm. “We are pleased by the court’s order and are eager to move forward and get these individuals the help they need and deserve.”
The defense has the opportunity to file an appeal of the decision for class certification, if denied the case will continue as a class action lawsuit and proceed toward a trial.
In part two of this series, The San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol discusses details of the case presented by the Plaintiffs.