Welcome To StoneHill Environmental

StoneHill takes pride in providing straightforward and pragmatic expert litigation support for cases involving environmental contamination, geology, soils, and water resources. We believe that to minimize the cost of litigation, efforts should often be focused on utilizing available data to meet clearly defined objectives and develop conceptual models readily understood by the layperson. Because of their qualifications and reputation, StoneHill staff have been retained by the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as prominent law firms, to review environmental data and provide professional opinions and expert testimony for environmental litigation cases. As with the other services StoneHill provides, litigation support projects are handled with uncompromising integrity, objectiveness and honesty, characteristics for which StoneHill is often complimented. In a case following expert testimony presented by Timothy Stone, Principal, the client’s attorney stated that Mr. Stone “wore his honesty on his sleeve” which the attorney felt added significantly to the effectiveness of Mr. Stone’s testimony. StoneHill approaches each litigation case with an objective and open mind, believing that an accurate presentation of the facts will usually tell the true story. Additionally, when data gaps are identified, recommendations are made to obtain additional field data if feasible. It is often the case that with minimal investment in additional data gathering that a position can be greatly strengthened. Unfortunately, litigation cases are often plagued with expert presentations characterized by “smoke and mirrors” techniques. StoneHill takes pride in identifying the “smoke and mirrors” often employed by others and letting the untarnished facts drive a case to the logical conclusion.

DAUPHIN LANDFILL, BATH, ME
Client: Tarbox Road Homeowners

StoneHill was retained to provide expert litigation support by the legal council for homeowners which had been impacted by contaminants disposed in the landfill. The services provided included reviewing existing documentation prepared by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the responsible party’s consultants, conducting a site inspection, and providing technical opinions regarding the source, character, and fate of the contamination detected. In the late 1970's, several homeowners located down slope of the Dauphin Landfill discovered that their water supply wells were contaminated by volatile organic compounds most likely originating from the Dauphin site, where paint wastes and waste oils were likely to have been disposed. The supply wells were eventually abandoned and replaced by a municipal water supply; however, the homeowners continued to be concerned for the health of their families and the loss of value of their properties. A key role for StoneHill was to drive the responsible party to conduct adequate investigations to identify and characterize the source contamination, and potential off site impacts to the homeowners and their properties.

GASOLINE STATION, CAMBRIDGE, MA
Client: Confidential

The discovery of groundwater contamination beneath a gasoline station which had been in operation for over 60 years resulted in claims from the current owner that the previous owner was aware of releases
	or spills which took place prior to the current owner purchasing the underground storage tank facility on the site in the 1990s. StoneHill was retained to review the background data and provide litigation support services.
While several consultants had been previously involved with the site, during a site inspection by StoneHill it was immediately recognized that the groundwater monitoring well completions were inadequate and very likely had compromised the quality of the previously collected groundwater quality data. The well completions were immediately retrofitted, and the wells redeveloped and sampled to obtain a data set representative of current groundwater conditions. Petroleum fingerprinting of the hydrocarbons detected in the groundwater was performed by a specialty laboratory and this data in combination with other background information indicated that residual contamination from a release prior to 1980 was present beneath the site.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, WASHINGTON DC Client: U.S. Department of Justice, Washington D.C.
StoneHill was contracted by the U.S. Department of Justice to provide expert litigation support for a Superfund case involving a sand and gravel
pit operation which disposed of solvent laden still bottoms and other industrial waste in gravel pits during the 1970s. While many of the potentially responsible parties had settled, U.S. DOJ is continuingto pursue cost recovery from several additional parties. Background reports were reviewed by StoneHill and a
site visit was conducted to assist the DOJ in determining whether the environmental harm at the site could be attributed to particular potentially responsible parties.

WATER SUPPLY WELL FIELD CONTAMINATION, BEDFORD, MA Client: New England Nurseries
Mr. Stone was contracted as an expert to support a nursery/garden center which had been named as a third party defendant in a lawsuit which involved the contamination of a township
	wellfield with organic chemicals. Mr. Stone's responsibilities included reviewing available data and preparing a defense for the nursery. Mr. Stone conducted an expert presentation on behalf of his client at a mediation meeting held with over thirty participants representing the principal
parties involved, which included the township, several government agencies and a government military contractor. A settlement agreement was negotiated and approved by all parties as a result of the mediation.

Click here to contact StoneHill to learn more about Expert Litigation Support

600 State Street, Suite 2
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Telephone: 603-433-1935
Toll Free: 1-800-639-4503
Fax: 603-433-1942
info@stonehillenvironmental.com