Latest news with #environmentalhazard
Phone Arena
30-06-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
AT&T investors have less than two weeks to keep their lawsuit against the company alive
AT&T AT&T Receive the latest AT&T news Subscribe By subscribing you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy AT&T AT&T AT&T AT&T AT&T Grab Surfshark VPN now at more than 50% off and with 3 extra months for free! Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer A judge just threw out an investor lawsuit against one of the biggest telcos out there – AT&T , which is in the courtroom over toxic lead cables left across the ago, like two years ago, there was a major scandal that Verizon , and other telecom giants had forgotten to remove miles of cables wrapped in lead, stretching across rivers, buried in soil, and hanging overhead on poles. These cables, once essential, now pose a danger to the because of the the cables aged and decayed, the toxic metal began to break apart, spreading into places where people live, work, and play, the WSJ reported in 2023. Tests found lead along major rivers like the Mississippi and the Passaic, and in unexpected places – beneath a fishing spot in Louisiana, a playground in New York, and near a school in New a group of several public retirement systems from New York City, among which – the New York City Police Pension Fund, New York City Fire Department Pension Fund, filed a lawsuit againstand five of its executives. They claimed that the company misled investors by making false or incomplete statements between July 2018 and July to the plaintiffs,failed to tell investors about the environmental and financial risks tied to a large number of old telephone cables covered in toxic lead. These lead-covered cables were left in place whenupgraded its network, and the plaintiffs argued that the company knew or should have known that the cables were leaking lead into the plaintiffs claimedhad made misleading public statements about cost savings from retiring old copper wires, its environmental responsibility, and its employee safety practices. They argued thatexecutives downplayed or hid the risks of leaving lead cables in place, even though the company presented itself as committed to safety and environmental plaintiffs sued under federal securities laws, arguing that these omissions and misleading statements caused financial harm to investors who boughtsecurities during that Chief Judge David C. Godbey dismissed the case. He ruled that the plaintiffs did not meet the strict legal standards required for securities fraud. Most importantly, the judge found that the complaint did not show that any of the defendants acted with the intent to mislead investors or were severely reckless in what they said or failed to say. The court also said that the plaintiffs' claims were often too general and did not clearly link specific executives to specific misleading judge also dismissed the related claims that the executives were "control persons" responsible for the company's actions, because the main fraud claims were not strong enough to move dismissal is without prejudice, meaning the plaintiffs are allowed to try again. They have 30 days from the date of the order (June 16, 2025) to file an amended complaint with more detailed allegations. If they do not amend the complaint within that time, the case will be dismissed permanently.
Irish Times
22-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Removal of illegal north Dublin landfill begins at cost of €6m after years of dumping
Work has started on the removal and permanent closure of one of Dublin's largest and longest-operating illegal landfill sites, at a cost of up to €6 million. The dump, which is estimated to hold 40,000 tonnes of commercial and domestic waste, has been operating for decades at Darndale Park in north Dublin. Hazardous material including asbestos has been found in the dump, which is regularly subject to fires and is infested with rats. Dublin City Council has spent several hundred thousand euro on periodic clearance of the landfill located opposite homes in Moatview Court and Belcamp Gardens. READ MORE In 2019, after spending €230,000 the previous year to remove accumulated waste, the council said it was establishing a 'multi-departmental' taskforce to develop a permanent solution for the site. However, local residents said they saw little progress in resolving the issue. 'We were looking out every day at a six-storey pile of rubbish metres from our houses, trying to get the council to take responsibility for it, but they kept kicking the can down the road,' said Annette Flanagan, who has lived in Moatview Court for 39 years. Residents were constantly having to deal with rats entering their homes, she said. 'You'd see the rats everywhere, and you'd hear them above you in the attic. People would take down their Christmas stuff and it would be eaten away by the rats.' Residents' concerns intensified after tests, carried out at the dump by the council in 2019, showed the presence of asbestos. 'We were always worried about what we were breathing in, especially with the fires, but now we knew. There's terrible health problems, a lot of people have had cancer. People will say: 'Well it's an underprivileged area and you're not eating right and you're smoking or drinking' - now that is a lie, I never drank.' In 2022, Ms Flanagan approached the local Community Law & Mediation centre, which runs free legal advice clinics on environmental law. The centre approached the council on behalf of residents. Last year, the council issued tenders for the full removal of the waste and the construction of a 2.5m wall between Darndale Park and a group of adjacent Traveller accommodation sites. The work to remove the waste has started and is expected to take up to four months, the council said. 'It is expected that the cost for clean-up of this site will be between €4 million and €6 million,' it said. The council said it has been 'engaged in increased enforcement activity and has worked in co-operation with local gardaí from the Coolock area' at the site. 'As a result of this, no increase in illegal dumping has occurred at this site for approximately the last two years,' it said. 'Part of the current works involves the building of a boundary wall where the illegal dumping has taken place, and once all the current works are completed, it is proposed to develop the lands in question for community use. 'The increase in enforcement on this area together with the construction and development works are designed to prevent further illegal dumping on this site.' It said it was not taking any legal action in relation to the dump. 'Dublin City Council has no evidence against any individual for illegal dumping at this site and consequently is not taking illegal action against anyone for illegal dumping at this stage,' the local authority said. Community Law & Mediation welcomed the start of work to remove the landfill, which was a 'serious health and environmental hazard' it said. 'We remain prepared to take further action as necessary to ensure that the site is fully and safely cleared and that the community's rights are protected,' it said. Ms Flanagan said she hoped to see sports pitches, a sensory garden for children with autism and allotments on the land. 'I really hope the council do the right thing now,' she said. 'At the end of the day they are our landlords and they should never have left us living beside that.'
