Did you and your family suffer harm as a result of the odors and fumes coming from the Sunshine Canyon Landfill? Whether you or your family were harmed as a result of this landfill or any other local landfill, it is important that you understand that you may have the right to sue and recover compensation. You might actually be eligible to participate in a class action lawsuit along with other community members.
If you are interested in learning more about the legal options available to you, do not hesitate to contact the experts here at our law firm as soon as possible. Our legal team here at the Normandie Law Firm is equipped with the tools necessary to take on the owners and operators of these landfills and get residents justice.
Are you ready to speak with a lawyer? If so, contact us at your earliest convenience.
About the Sunshine Canyon Landfill
The Sunshine Canyon Landfill is located at 14747 San Fernando Road in Sylmar, California. It spans 1,000 acres and gets more than 8,000 tons of trash on a daily basis. The landfill is operated by Republic Services, which is a company based in Phoenix, Arizona; the company is also known as BFI of California.
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Sunshine Canyon Landfill Complaints At All-Time High
According to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD), odor complaints made by the community and cited violations have risen this year. From January to November, there were over 1,7000 complaints from residents and 39 notices of violations against the operator of the landfill. Reportedly, most of these complaints come from residents from Sylmar and Granada Hills.
In fact, members of the community are upset because a similar situation at a different landfill has gotten attention. Although members of the community have been lobbying for the city attorney to take action against the operators of Sunshine Canyon Landfill, they keep getting the runaround; the city attorney claims to be working towards doing something about the situation, yet things seem to be getting worse.
Although complaints and violation citations have increased and are at an all-time high this year, the General Manager at the Sunshine landfill claims that this is inaccurate information. He claims that the landfill has undergone significant improvements to infrastructure over the past few years, which have improved the odors in the landfill as well as other issues.
Some people have claimed that the odor that the community members think is coming from the landfill may actually be coming from other sources, like a nearby gas leak.
Odors Coming from a Landfill Can be Harmful
Depending on what is causing the odor, residents exposed to the odor day in and day out may potentially suffer harm. Let’s consider another landfill in the area that recently got sued for odors. The landfill was releasing a putrid smell, like that of an onion or worse, into surrounding neighborhoods. This smell was caused by dimethyl sulfide, or DMS. Exposure to DMS is known to cause many physical symptoms, including but not limited to headaches, dizziness, coughing, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, irritation of the respiratory tract, ulcers (both in the nose and the throat), fluid buildup in the lungs, and coma, for example.
Methane Leak at Sunshine Canyon Landfill May be Affecting the Community
A report published by L.A. Time’s Tony Briscoe revealed that the increased rain that the area has received between October 2022 and March 2023, plus the tropical storm in the Summer of 2023, has ultimately caused underground chemical reactions and multiple landfills in the area. According to the report, the rainwater drenched the decomposing garbage, resulting in ideal conditions for bacteria; this released methane gas and hydrogen sulfide (which has a putrid, rotten egg smell). In addition, the rain caused erosion of landfill soil cover, leaving garbage exposed and actually making the odors worse (as soil cover helps keep the odors down).
Is exposure to methane gas and hydrogen sulfide harmful? Yes, exposure to both methane gas and hydrogen sulfide can be harmful.
Exposure to methane gas, specially, has been associated with symptoms that include the following: increased heart rate; rapid breathing; decreased vision; decreased alertness; dizziness and clumsiness; weakness and fatigue; nausea and vomiting; fainting and collapsing; convulsions; coma; death.
Exposure to hydrogen sulfide has been associated with the following symptoms: irritation to the eyes and to the respiratory system; dizziness; headaches; irritability; weakness; insomnia; upset stomach; coma.
Although methane gas has no smell, hydrogen sulfide has a smell similar to the smell of rotten eggs.
Do I Have the Right to File a Lawsuit?
You could potentially have the right to file a lawsuit for the damages that you and your family suffered as a result of the odors coming from a local landfill. Whether the physical symptoms that you and your family are suffering are caused by exposure to methane gas, hydrogen sulfide, or both, you may have the right to sue. For more information about the legal options available to you, contact the experts here at our law firm today.
Can I Join a Class Action Lawsuit against Sunshine Canyon Landfill?
Yes, you could join a class action lawsuit. In cases like these, where many members of the community are harmed in a similar way, class action lawsuits are very common. In some cases, joining a class action lawsuit is as simple as opting in, typically when the class action lawsuit already exists. To participate in a class action lawsuit on this landfill case, it is important to seek legal help immediately. Your lawyer will be able to evaluate your case and help you better understand your legal options. If there is already a class action lawsuit that you would like to participate in, your lawyer will take care of everything to ensure that you are part of the class. If a class action does not exist yet, your lawyer will actually start the class action. For more information about participating in a class action lawsuit, contact us today.
Can I Receive Compensation?
Yes, based on the details surrounding your Sunshine Canyon Landfill lawsuit, you could be entitled to compensation. If you and your family were affected by the odors and gases released by a landfill, you could recover compensation which could include the following:
- Medical costs
- Lost income
- Pain and suffering
- Punitive damages
- Legal costs
Here at our law firm, our legal team is committed to getting our clients the maximum compensation available for their claims. If you have any questions about the type and amount of compensation that you could receive, contact us today. Our team is committed to getting our claimants the maximum recovery possible within a reasonable length of time.
Contact Normandie Law Firm Today
Here at our law firm, our lawyers have decades of experience handling all sorts of claims, including those involving landfills. Our law firm offers free legal services, which includes free consultations and free second opinions. During these free legal services, our lawyers will be available to answer all questions and address all concerns, providing our clients with all the information that they need to either start or begin their claims. If you are ready to speak with a lawyer and explore your legal options, contact us today.
We offer a Zero-Fee Guarantee, so our clients will never have to pay upfront legal costs for our legal services. In addition, our team works strictly on contingency; therefore, our clients will never be required to pay anything unless their claims are successful.
Contact us today to speak with our landfill methane leak lawyers.
