[Download] "United States V. Stauffer Chemical Co." by United States Court Of Appeals For The Sixth Circuit * eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: United States V. Stauffer Chemical Co.
- Author : United States Court Of Appeals For The Sixth Circuit
- Release Date : January 07, 1982
- Genre: Law,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 82 KB
Description
Stauffer has appealed to this court from an order of the district court denying its motion to quash an invalid administrative search warrant issued ex parte by a United States Magistrate, which authorized EPA to conduct an air pollution inspection of private commercial property belonging to Stauffer, namely, its plant located at Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee, said inspection to be made not only by authorized employees of EPA and the State of Tennessee, but also by unauthorized private contractors objected to by Stauffer to protect it from disclosure of its trade secrets or other proprietary information to competitors or others with a conflict of interest. Stauffer refused to permit the inspection to include the employees of private contractors unless such private contractors signed a nondisclosure agreement to protect Stauffer against disclosure by private contractors of Stauffer's trade secrets. The private contractors refused to execute the nondisclosure agreements prepared by Stauffer and Stauffer refused to permit the inspection of its property. EPA cited Stauffer with contempt of court for refusing the inspection. Stauffer then filed its motion to quash. The contempt citation and motion to quash were heard together by the district judge. He denied the motion to quash holding that the phrase "authorized representative" of the Administrator, as used in Section 114(a) (2) of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. § 7414(a) (2)*fn1 authorizes the EPA to use employees of private contractors in making such inspections and that Stauffer was required to comply with the warrant. He dismissed the contempt citation holding that "because Stauffer legitimately believed that private contractors were not authorized representatives under the Clean Air Act, EPA's motion for contempt is denied. If Stauffer's subsequently refuses entry to its Mt. Pleasant plant to authorized representatives of the Administrator presenting proper credentials and a warrant, a contempt citation shall issue." This constituted a final appealable order.