CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -- Chick-fil-A Inc. has filed a federal lawsuit against ExxonMobil Corp. over groundwater contamination at a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Coral Springs, Fla., reported The Atlanta Business Chronicle. According to the complaint, the sale of a Chick-fil-A store for $975,000 was interrupted by discovery of ongoing groundwater contamination, including benzene and naphthalene. The complaint alleges the contamination came from the site of the nearby ExxonMobil gas station.
"ExxonMobil's release of these solid and hazardous wastes, and its subsequent failure to address continuing [image-nocss] releases of contamination at the site, is contributing to the ongoing contamination of soils and groundwater on adjoining properties," said the report, citing complaint filed last week.
ExxonMobil has not filed an answer with the court, and calls by the newspaper to the corporation's office were not immediately returned.
In a 2006 letter to Chick-fil-A that is attached to the lawsuit, ExxonMobil acknowledged "environmental conditions" exist at the station, the report said.
The letter referred to the station as being accepted into the State Administered Cleanup program as early as 1993, and said ExxonMobil is "currently complying with all applicable laws and regulations with regard to the documented petroleum hydrocarbon impact on the adjacent Mobil station property."
The suit does not specify a dollar amount of alleged damages, but asks the court for a jury trial to recover "all past, present and future costs and expenses" associated with assessing the contamination and its impact; a court order requiring ExxonMobil to "fully remediate" the site; and punitive damages.
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