The California Supreme Court has told insurance companies they must pay up to the policy limits for cleanup of a toxic dump in Riverside County.
Thursday's unanimous decision in the decades-long dispute means the state will likely receive tens of millions of dollars more from insurers to clean up the Stringfellow Acid Pits near Glen Avon.
The industrial waste facility operated by the state from 1956 to 1972 leaked contaminants into ground water.
The Los Angeles Times says the California Supreme Court ruled that consecutive insurance policies require each insurer to pay up to their policy limits for waste site damages.
The court says the state, which purchased multiple policies and paid multiple premiums, should be able to collect up to the policy limit from each company.
