Calif. Jury Rejects Benzene Groundwater Contamination Claims; Finds for Unocal, Conoco

LOS ANGELES –– A California jury has reached a defense verdict for Union Oil Company of California and Conoco Phillips Co., rejecting the claims of a real estate development company that the defendants created a nuisance when they allegedly released benzene-containing gasoline into the ground in the 1980s.

The California Superior Court for Los Angeles County jury reached the verdict earlier today after a 16-day trial. Judge Frederick C. Shaller presided over the proceedings, which began on Feb. 27.

Union Oil Company of California and Conoco Phillips Co. were the lone remaining defendants at the time of the verdict, sources …