Cerny v. Marathon Oil Corp.
Cerny v. Marathon Oil Corp.
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
Opinion by:
Michael A. Cerny and Myra L. Cerny, individually, and as next friends of their minor son Cameron A. Cerny (collectively, the Cernys) sued Marathon Oil Corporation
Factual and PROCEDURAL BackgRound
The Cernys moved to a “fixer-upper” home on a one-acre tract of land in Kames County in 2002. In 2010, the Cernys leased the mineral rights to Marathon’s predecessor in exchange for a lease bonus and royalty interest. The lease and subsequent addendum authorized Marathon to utilize the surface of the Cernys’ land for oil and gas operations and to drill horizontal wells. The Cernys’ lease was pooled with other leases to create a larger drilling unit named the Brysch-Adams Unit. In 2012, Marathon drilled its first horizontal well on the Brysch-Adams Unit; the unit now contains three wells. Marathon has not placed any wellheads or infrastructure on the surface of the Cernys’ property. The Cernys receive consistent royalty payments from the sale of production from the Brysch-Adams Unit.
In 2013, the Cernys filed suit against Marathon and Plains alleging that their negligent oilfield operations subjected them to toxic chemicals and noxious odors that worsened their existing health problems, caused new health problems, and damaged their property by creating sinkholes and damaging the home’s pier and beam foundation. The Cernys’ Fourth Amended Petition, which the parties agree is the live petition, asserted that “[w]ith the arrival of the technology to capture hydrocarbons in shale formations, came-an influx of oilfield activity into Kames County, Texas, in the heart of the Eagle Ford Shale,” consisting of “[production operations, including drilling, completions, work-overs, testing, processing, and other oilfield activities.” The Cernys alleged that, by early 2012, their property was “completely surrounded” by Marathon’s wells and Plains’ production facilities which emitted noxious odors and chemicals and created constant traffic, dust, and noise, all of which radically altered their previously peaceful, rural lifestyle. The Cernys alleged that the complained of well sites and facilities are in the vicinity, or “within a short distance,” of their property; they also alleged that fracking operations have occurred “within three miles” of the Cemy residence. The Cernys pled causes of action for private nuisance, negligence, gross negligence, and negligence per se.
In their petition, the Cernys specifically disclaimed that they were seeking “any ‘personal injury damages’ that would invoke [the need for expert testimony under] Merrell Dow Pharms. v. Havner ” and its progeny. See Merrell Dow Pharms. v. Havner, 953 S.W.2d 706 (Tex. 1997). The Cernys further “disclaim[ed] any and all claims seeking recovery for a diagnosed ‘disease’ that also occurs genetically and for which a large percentage of the causes are unknown.” They stressed that they “do NOT seek recovery in damages for defendants’ actions having caused the particular ‘disease.’ ” The Cernys’ petition did not identify their pre-existing diseases and physical symptoms, and did not identify the exacerbated conditions or new “symptoms” which they allege were caused by the defendants’- conduct. The Cernys characterized the damages sought as:
*616 • Compensation for “(a) reasonable and necessary medical expenses incurred in the .past, for treatment due to the defendants’ conduct; (b) reasonable and necessary medical expenses [which] are likely to be incurred in the future due to defendants’ conduct; (c) loss of earning capacity.”
• “[Recovery for their symptoms which are typical of discomfort rather than disease” due to past and future “fear, apprehension, offense, discomfort, annoyance, sickness, injury to health, exacerbation of physical health or preexisting condition, ' harm from assaúlt on’ plaintiffs’ senses, nausea, loss of peace of mind, emotional harm or distress, inconvenience, and deprivation of enjoyment of their property.” They allege these damages also include (i) past and future physical pain and suffering, (ii) past and future mental pain' or anguish, (iii) disfigurement, (iv) loss of enjoyment of life, and (v) loss of use of their propérty. '
• Remediation damages to repair dam- • age to the structure of the home.
• Loss of market value of the property due to sinkholes, chemical pollution, ' noxious odors, dead trees, and dead animals on the property.
• Punitive damages (re: gross negligence).
Marathon and Plains filed no-evidence and traditional motions for summary judgment asserting there was no evidence, and no issue of material fact, under the Hamer standard on 'all the elements of the claims asserted by the Cernys. While the defendants asserted in their summary judgment motions that the Cernys could not prove any of thé 'elements of their claims, they espeeially focused on the element of causation common to.all of the Cernys’ causes of action.
The Cernys filed a response which attached summary judgment evidence consisting primarily of: (1) the affidavits of Michael, Myrna, and Cameron Cerny stating their personal observations about the nearby oilfield operations, their health symptoms and loss of enjoyment, and the property damage, and drawing inferences as to the connections; (2) the affidavit of Sharon Wilson, a lay person working with Earthworks who took videos of gas plumes at a Plains facility and a Marathon.facility near the Cerny home and air canister samples showing the presence of the same six hazardous substances at the Plains facility and at the Cerny home; (3) the affidavit, report, and supplemental report of Keith Zimmerman, P.E., an air quality expert who conducted air dispersion modeling of a “documented upset condition” at the nearby Marathon Yosko site and air modeling of the permitted emissions levels at three other Marathon facilities near the Cerny home, and found that hazardous compounds were carried on to the Cerny property during the five-week emissions event and that the other three Marathon facilities
Marathon and Plains filed motions to strike the majority of the Cernys’ summary judgment evidence as inadmissible hearsay, unqualified lay opinions, and unreliable, speculative, and conclusory expert opinions. See Tex. R. Evid. 701, 702-03, 802. The trial court granted the defendants’ motions to strike in their entirety, thereby striking the bulk of the Cernys’ summary judgment evidence, leaving only the child Cameron Corny’s affidavit, and the affidavits (unsupported by the stricken reports) of the experts Zimmerman and Mitchell. The trial court then granted both the no-evidence summary judgment motions and the traditional summary judgment motions filed by Marathon and Plains.
The Cernys now appeal, raising two main issues: (1) whether the trial court erred in granting the defendants’ no-evidence and traditional summary judgments on all the Cernys’ causes of action; and (2) whether the trial court abused its discretion in striking the majority of the Cernys’ summary judgment evidence.
No-EVIDENCE SUMMARY JUDGMENT
Standard of Review. We review a trial court’s grant or denial of summary judgment de novo. Provident Life & Accident Ins. Co. v. Knott, 128 S.W.3d 211, 215 (Tex. 2003). On appeal, the court reviews a no-evidence summary judgment first, and then proceeds to address a traditional summary judgment only if necessary. Ford Motor Co. v. Ridgway, 135 S.W.3d 598, 600 (Tex. 2004). If the court affirms the no-evidence summary judgment motion, it need not address the traditional summary judgment. Id.
A no-evidence summary judgment is essentially a directed verdict granted before trial, to which we apply a legal sufficiency standard of review. King Ranch, Inc. v. Chapman, 118 S.W.3d 742, 750-51 (Tex. 2003). A no-evidence motion for summary judgment must be granted if, after an adequate time for discovery, the moving party asserts that there is no evidence of one or more essential elements of a claim or defense on which an adverse party would have the burden of proof at trial and the non-movant fails to produce more than a scintilla of summary judgment evidence raising a genuine issue of material fact bn those elements. Tex. R. Civ. P. 166a(i); Medistar Corp. v. Schmidt, 267 S.W.3d 150, 157 (Tex.App.-San Antonio 2008, pet, denied). No evidence exists when there is (i) a complete absence of evidence of a vital fact, (ii) the court is barred by rules of law or evidence from giving weight to the only evidence offered to. prove a vital fact, (iii) the. evidence offered to prove a vital fact is no more than a mere scintilla, or (ivj the evidence establishes conclusively the opposite of the vital fact. City of Keller v. Wilson, 168 S.W.3d 802, 810 (Tex. 2005); see Burroughs Wellcome Co. v. Crye, 907 S.W.2d 497, 499 (Tex. 1995) (more than a scintilla of evidence exists when the eyi-
Necessity of Expert Testimony
As noted, both Marathon and Plains filed no-evidence summary judgment motions asserting there was no evidence of any of the elements of the causes of action pled by the Cernys. The defendants chiefly stressed that there was no evidence their particular oilfield operations caused the Cernys’ damages under any of their claims. We will thus focus our no-evidence analysis on the element of causation, which is common to all the Cernys’ claims and which is the main element in dispute.
Before we turn to the summary judgment evidence, we must resolve the disputed issue of whether the strict causation standards of Havner apply to the Cernys’ claims, specifically whether expert testimony was necessary to create a fact issue on the causation element of their nuisance and negligence claims. In determining whether expert evidence is necessary, we apply a de novo standard of review. FEE Transp. Servs., Inc. v. Fulgham, 154 S.W.3d 84, 89-90 (Tex. 2004).
On appeal, the Cernys argue their summary judgment evidence consisting of lay affidavits and non-medical expert testimony was sufficient to raise a scintilla of evidence on the challenged element of causation for all their causes of action. They dispute that the strict causation standard of Havner applies to their claims, arguing instead that they can establish causation under general common law standards for negligence and nuisance. They acknowledge the general rule that expert testimony is necessary to establish causation as to medical conditions outside the common knowledge and experience of lay persons. See Guevara v. Ferrer, 247 S.W.3d 662, 665 (Tex. 2007). The Cernys assert, however, that they were not required to present medical expert testimony to prove causation of their physical injuries, whether new health conditions or exacerbations of pre-existing health conditions, because their petition disclaimed recovery for any “ ‘personal injury damages’ that would invoke Merrell Dow Pharms. v. Havner," and only sought recovery for nuisance “‘symptoms’ typical of discomfort rather than disease.” In support, the Cernys rely on the following language from Schneider Nat’l Carriers, Inc. v. Bates, a nuisance case, arguing it is dispositive of the expert testimony issue: “[T]he affidavit submitted by [the plaintiffs] medical expert ... allege[s] causation only as to symptoms typical of discomfort rather than disease, thus alleging nuisance damages rather than personal injury [damages],” Schneider Nat’l Carriers, Inc. v. Bates, 147 S.W.3d 264, 269 (Tex. 2004). However, that language is nonbinding dicta and is quoted
We have- previously applied Hamer’s requirements for expert testimony in a lead contamination case in which the plaintiffs brought claims for negligence and nuisance, among other claims. See Martinez v. City of San Antonio, 40 S.W.3d 587, 593-95 (Tex.App.-San Antonio 2001, pet. denied) (concluding-the plaintiffs experts failed to meet the Hamer standards on causation and upholding the no-evidencé summary judgment). In addition, the Waco Court of Appeals has applied the Hamer standards requiring expert testimony on causation to nuisance and negligence- claims based on oil and gas emissions similhr to the Cernys’ claims. See Baker v. Energy Transfer Co., No. 10-09-00214-CV, 2011 WL 4978287, at *5-7 (Tex.App-Waco Oct. 19, 2011, pet. denied) (mem.op.) (affirming no-evidence summary judgment on nuisance and negligence Claims in toxic exposure case and stating “[t]he requirement of expert testimony in this case is obvious”). The requirement of expert testimony is equally obvious in this case where the Cernys’ claims arise out of the alleged emissions and migration of hazardous substances from nearby oil and gas operations. We therefore conclude that the strict causation standards of Hamer apply to the Cernys’ claims.
Absent, direct, scientifically reliable proof of actual causation, Hamer requires the proponent of causation testimony in the toxic tort context to demonstrate that exposure “more, likely than not” caused.the injury by pointing to at least two epidemiological studies demonstrating a statistically isignificant doubling of. the risk as proof of general causation.
Causation Evidence
In order to survive the defendants’ no-evidence summary judgments on the causation element of their claims, the Cer-nys had to present more than a scintilla of probative expert evidence to create a material fact issue on each of the Hamer causation prongs discussed above. Even considering all of the Cernys’ summary judgment evidence, including the .expert evidencefstruck by the trial.court, we con-, elude they failed to do so. None of the Cernys’ experts presented any evidence excluding other potential causes of the Cernys’ alleged injuries and property damage; they did not exclude alternative causes to “a reasonable certainty” as required by Hamer. See Havner, 953 S.W.2d at 720. It was undisputed that each of the Cernys suffered from multiple chronic health conditions that existed prior to the defendants’ commencement of oilfield operations. Further, it was similarly undisputed that the Cerny’s home had foundation damage prior to the defendants’ operations. The record also shows that Marathon and Plains are not the only companies conducting oil and gas operations in the vicinity of the Cerny home; therefore, other companies’ emissions are plausible potential causes of the Cernys’ personal injuries and property damage. The Cer-nys did present expert testimony that excessive levels of benzene, nitrogen dioxide, and other hazardous chemicals were found to be present at the Cerny property, and that excessive levels of the same chemicals were found at three nearby Marathon facilities and one Plains facility. However, as we explained in Martinez, such evidence only shows that the plaintiffs had some exposure to. .chemicals found at the Marathon and Plains facilities; it does not negate other possible sources of the chemicals and thus constitutes no evidence of
In addition, while Dydek’s supplemental report cited two epidemiological studies that show “excess risks” of certain symptoms complained of by the Cernys, i.e., headaches, nausea, eye and throat irritation, in groups exposed to noxious chemical odors, there is no evidence showing the Cernys are similar to the subjects in the studies, or were exposed to similar doses as those in the studies. See Havner, 953 S.W.2d at 720; see also Borg-Warner, 232 S.W.3d at 771-73. In addition, without a medical expert, the Cernys had no evidence to show that their exposure to hazardous chemicals occurred before the onset or exacerbation of particular health symptoms or conditions. None of the Cer-nys’ experts obtained or reviewed' their medical records. No expert evidence was presented differentiating between the Cer-nys’ pre-existing physical conditions and the new health problems they claim arose after the oilfield operations began near their home.
Causation cannot be established by mere speculation. Martinez, 40 S.W.3d at 592. To overcome the defendants’ no-evidence summary judgment motion on causation, the Cernys had to present more than a scintilla of expert evidence that emissions from a Marathon and/or Plains facility caused their injuries and property damage and they failed to do so.
Loss-of-Use Damages
As to the portion of the Cernys’ nuisance claim seeking damages for loss of use and enjoyment of their land due to excessive dust, noise, traffic, and foul odors, we similarly conclude that they failed to raise a material fact issue on causation. The four elements of a private nuisance claim are: (1) the plaintiff had an interest in the land; (2) the defendant interfered with or invaded the plaintiffs interest by conduct that was negligent, intentional, or abnormal and out of place in its surroundings; (3) the defendant’s conduct resulted in a condition that substantially interfered with the plaintiffs use and enjoyment of his land; and (4) the nuisance caused injury to the plaintiff. Barnes v. Mathis, 353 S.W.3d 760, 763 (Tex. 2011); City of Tyler v. Likes, 962 S.W.2d 489, 503-04 (Tex. 1997). Even considering the stricken lay witness affidavits about the foul odors, dust, noise, and traffic, the lay witness evidence does not amount to more than a scintilla of evidence linking these particular defendants, Marathon and Plains, as the proximate cause of the conditions that substantially interfered with the Cernys’ use and enjoyment of their property.
The affidavits by Mr. and Mrs. Cerny state that, “in early 2012, we found our property entirely surrounded by oilfield activities,” with “wells or production facilities all around our home,” and “we began to notice that lots of dust and noise had radically altered our home and our way of living.” They describe physical ailments such as more frequent headaches, rashes, and trouble breathing, as well as “more anxiety and depression than we had experienced before.” Mrs. Cerny states that
With respect to noxious smells, Mr. and Mrs. Cerny state that in 2012 they began to smell foul odors, “sometimes like rotten eggs, other times like pest spray, and other times in ways we could not describe,” which became “constant” even inside the house because it does not have air conditioning. Both state that they have had to leave their home a few times “because the odors were so intense that we couldn’t stand it anymore.” They state that they feel much better after a day away, but “[w]hen we return, those smells assault our senses and our symptoms return.” In his affidavit, Cameron Cerny, the Cernys’ minor son, states that “[t]he area around our home used to be very quiet and peaceful, with very little traffic,” but “[t]hat all changed when the oilfield companies moved into the area.” He explains that the family started smelling bad odors, even in the house because they have to leave the windows and doors open to stay cool. He states that “[t]he smells were bad, and I started having trouble breathing after a. while” and received an inhaler from the doctor. ' He also started getting nose bleeds. Cameron states that if he leaves the area, he does not have the nose bleeds and he breathes easier. Finally, he states that the situation has created “a lot of stress and frustration.” Cameron does not identify any oil company by name in his affidavit.
Mr. and Mrs. Cerny’s. affidavits state that when the wind blows from the south, they smell a “strong smell that either caused or worsened many of our symptoms.” They drove south one day and saw Plains’ Kotara Ridley/Love Crews .Drip Station “almost directly to the south of our property.” Both state, “The place smelled terrible. From that, day forward, we named it ‘Stinkyville,’ and we regularly smell its odors during southerly winds.” As to Marathon, Mr. and Mrs.. Cerny both state that in 2013, Marathon tested the air on their property and found “the presence of oilfield gases and chemicals on our property,” but stated the amounts were “lower than the standards set out for an 8 hour workday.” Mr. and Mrs. Cerny point out in their affidavits, that they live there “24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” as opposed to working for 8 hours and leaving. A letter dated May 3, 2012 from Marathon was included in the Cernys’ summary judgment evidence. It states that Marathon conducted air monitoring at the Cernys’ property regarding “reported odors,” measuring for sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, along with Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), which includes a group of chemicals found in oil and gas operations, and Lower Explosive Limit (LEL), which measures concentrations of potentially flammable chemicals. The test results pertaining to sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide were then compared to TCEQ and OSHA exposure limits; the letter notes that TCEQ and OSHA have not established exposure limits for VOC or LEL. The letter explains that “[tjhese comparisons are important because TCEQ exposure limits are established based upon scientific evidence to protect people from short-term and long-term levels, of exposure that can cause illness.” The permis
Finally, Sharon Wilson’s affidavit states that in March 2013 she recorded a FLIR
Viewing the lay witness affidavits and Marathon letter in the light most favorable to the Cernys, it does not amount to more than a scintilla of probative evidence that Marathon and Plains were the proximate cause of the dust, noise, traffic, and foul odors experienced by the Cernys. There is no evidence identifying Marathon or Plains as the proximate cause of the excessive dust and noise arising from the increased traffic on the road in front of the Cernys’ home. As to the foul odors, the affidavits by Mr. and Mrs. Cerny and Sharon Wilson are merely speculative and conclusory as to the source of the odors experienced by the Cernys on their property. As to Plains, the Cernys assume a causal connection because the odors they smell when a southerly wind blows are the same as the odors they smelled the one time they drove by the Plains’ drip station located south of their property. Wilson’s affidavit shows only that six of the same “hazardous substances, including benzene,” were present at the Cernys’ property and at the Plains’ drip station. As to Marathon, thé Cernys’ affidavits and the Marathon letter show only that Marathon’s testing found the Cernys’ property had sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and other “oilfield gases and chemicals” in quantities lower than TCEQ and OSHA exposure standards for health and safety. Marathon’s letter does
Conclusion
Based on the foregoing reasons, we hold the trial court did not err in granting a no-evidence summary judgment in favor of Marathon and Plains oh all the Cernys’ claims and we affirm the trial court’s judgment.
Concurring & Dissenting Opinion by Luz Elena D. Chapa, Justice
. Marathon Oil Corporation was dismissed from the suit on the ground that it was not
. Marathon’s North Longhorn, East Sugar-loaf, and East Longhorn facilities
. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
. Although the Cernys challenge the specificity of portions of the defendants' no-evidence summary judgment motions, the Cernys concede that the no-evidence motions sufficiently challenged the causation elements of their claims. Therefore, we need not address the Cernys' procedural challenges to the no-evidence summary judgment motions which they raise on appeal.
. "Epidemiological studies examine existing populations to attempt to determine if there is an association between a disease or condition and a factor suspected of'causing that disease or condition.’’ Havner, 953 S.W.2d at 715, Epidemiological studies only show an “association” and cannot establish the actual cause of a person's injury or condition. Id. at 715-18.
. Wilson explained that FLIR Optical Gas Imaging is one of the methods used to see gases and other substances that are not visible to the naked human eye.
Concurring in Part
concurring & dissenting
The Cernys’ nuisance claims are not based solely upon the migration of hazardous chemicals and wastes onto their property causing medical “symptoms,” but also upon excessive noise, foul odors, dust pollution, and abnormal traffic interfering with the use and enjoyment of their property. Because determining the source of the latter types of nuisance claims is within common knowledge and experience, and the record contains some admissible evidence connecting the alleged foul odors to Plains’s conduct, I dissent in part to the majority’s judgment.
The Cernys pled claims against appel-lees for three different categories of nuisance: (1) “Defendants caused releases, emissions, or discharges of hazardous gases, chemicals, and hazardous wastes through its operations, which migrated to the plaintiffs’ property;” (2) “Defendants caused offensive odors, foul smells, and noises through its'bperations which were constantly ássaulting-thé plaintiffs’ senses, when on their property;” and (3) Defendants caused offensive dust pollution'and abnormal traffic through its operations through and by the plaintiffs’ property.” They further alleged:
The frequency, duration, degree and extent of defendants’ conduct resulted in a condition that substantially interfered with the plaintiffs’ private use and enjoyment of their property by, among other things, causing unreasonable fear, apprehension, offense, discomfort, annoyance, sickness;' iiijury to physical health, impairment of physical health, exacerbation of physical health and/or preexisting health conditions, harm from assault on plaintiffs’ senses, nausea, depression, loss' of peace of mind, emotional harm/distress, inconvenience, deprivation of enjoyment of property,' deprivation of use of property for plaintiffs’ business, injury to plaintiffs’ animals, damage to plaintiffs’ home and land around the home, diminution of plaintiffs’ propérty value, constructive eviction from the plaintiffs’ property, and loss of plaintiffs’ quality of life.
They sought damages for medical expenses and for the loss of .use and enjoyment of their property.
“There is no question that foul odors, dust, noise, and bright lights — if sufficiently extreme — may constitute a nuisance.” Schneider Nat’l Carriers, Inc. v. Bates, 147 S.W.3d 264, 269 (Tex. 2004). Such nuisance claims may support- a damages
Although the Cernys disclaim any damages that would implicate Hamer’s strict standard, their other damage claims are not exempt from ordinary evidentiary requirements for proving causation. The Cernys sought damages for medical expenses and a variety of other damages relating to the loss of use and enjoyment of their property. When plaintiffs allege a defendant caused them to suffer a medical injuiy, lay testimony of causation will suffice only when “both the occurrence and conditions complained of are such that the general experience and common sense of laypersons are sufficient to evaluate the conditions and whether they were probably caused by the occurrence.” Jelinek v. Casas, 328 S.W.3d 526, 534 (Tex. 2010) (quoting Guevara v. Ferrer, 247 S.W.3d 662, 668 (Tex. 2007)). Expert testimony is necessary when there are multiple potential causes of the medical injury. Id. at 533-34. I agree with the majority the Cernys were required to present expert testimony that any of appellees, to the exclusion of other potential causes, caused their alleged medical injuries. See id. However, the Cernys claim other compen-sable, non-medical damages resulting from the second and third categories of nuisances: unreasonable fear, apprehension, offense, discomfort, annoyance, harm from assault on plaintiffs’ senses, loss of peace of mind, emotional harm/distress, inconvenience, deprivation of enjoyment of property, deprivation of use of property for plaintiffs’ business, constructive eviction from the plaintiffs’ property, and loss of plaintiffs’ quality of life. See Burditt, 17 Tex. at 502; Rankin, 266 S.W.3d at 512; Pascouet, 61 S.W.3d at 616.
A lay witness may testify to opinions that are rationally based on the perception of the witness and helpful to an understanding of his testimony or a determination of the fact at issue. Havner v. E-Z Mart Stores, Inc., 825 S.W.2d 456, 464-65 (Tex. 1992); see Tex. R. Evid. 701. “Lay testimony is adequate to prove causation in those cases in which general experience and common sense will enable a layman to determine, with reasonable probability, the causal relationship between the event and the condition.” Morgan v. Compugraphic Corp., 675 S.W.2d 729, 733 (Tex. 1984). In nuisance cases based on excessive noise and foul odors, landowners’ testimony that a defendant caused the excessive noise or foul odors, if rationally based on the perception of the witness, can be some evidence of causation. See, e.g., Pool v. River Bend Ranch, LLC, 346 S.W.3d 853, 859 (Tex.App.-Tyler 2011, pet. denied) (holding testimony of landowners and neighbors regarding noise and excessive traffic was legally sufficient to support trial court’s finding that the noise levels constituted nuisance); Pascouet, 61 S.W.3d at 616 (holding landowners’ testimony of substantial and continuous interference with the use and enjoyment of their property caused by bright lights and noise was legally sufficient to support jury’s damages finding).
The Cernys submitted affidavits in support of the nuisance claims that Plains
The Cernys also submitted the affidavit of Sharon Wilson. Wilson’s affidavit states she conducted air sampling and took video-recordings with a FLIR GasFindIR camera. Her affidavit explains:
In March 2013, Mike and Myra took members of Earthworks and ShaleTest to several facilities where we recorded FLIR video. At a Plains Exploration & Producing Company (“PXP”) facility named Kotara Ridley/Love Crews Drip Station we observed through the FLIR camera a huge release blowing across the road. There was an overpowering smell of hydrogen sulfide (rotten eggs). An air sample was collected from the plume in a Summa Canister. The results showed several hazardous substances, including benzene at a rate 20 times above the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s (TCEQ) Long Term Health Effects Screenings Limit. Everyone in our group except one person who was wearing a respirator experienced health effects including headache,- nausea, sore throat and burning eyes and nasal passages.
In order to see if any of these hazardous substances were migrating onto the Cerny property, we placed a second, 12-hour ’ canister at the Cerny property, outside of their house. The canister results at the Cerny property showed that 6 of the hazardous substances found at the PXP drip station were also found on the Cerny property, including the benzene....
Appellees moved to strike Wilson’s affidavit on the grounds that she was “not qualified to testify that emissions from oil and gas facilities caused medical symptoms and„ such testimony is unfairly prejudicial ” (emphasis added). They also moved to strike the samples and the FLIR video she took on the-grounds they would “not assist the trier of fact to understand the issue of whether emissions from [defendants’] facilities caused Plaintiffs’ alleged injuries because there is no indication as to the level of emissions shown on the video, the content of the emissions, or how the emissions would affect Plaintiffs or Plaintiffs’ property.” Appellees did not object to Wilson’s qualifications for collecting and analyzing air samples or for taking video-recordings with a FLIR camera. I would hold the trial court abused its discretion by striking Wilson’s affidavit because, even if Wilson were not qualified to testify to the Cernys’ medical conditions and the FLIR video did not connect the alleged toxins to the Cernys’ medical conditions, Wilson’s affidavit is some evidence that a Plains facility was responsible for the foul odors detected at the Cernys’ home.
Appellees note that several other companies conducted operations near the Cernys’
When the evidence is viewed in a light most favorable to the CernyS and all reasonable inferences are drawn in their favor, there is more than a scintilla of evi-' dence connecting Plains’s operations to the foul odors interfering with the Cernys’ use and enjoyment of their property! Although I agiee with most of 'the'majority’s opinion, I would reverse' and remand the Cernys’ odor-based nuisánce claim against Plains.
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