Oct. 28, 2019—Ten district attorney offices throughout the state of California announced a $2.35 million environmental lawsuit settlement with Service King Paint and Body on Friday, reported The Mercury News.
The suit alleged that the Texas-based car repair company mishandled hazardous waste and confidential customer information.
“The auto body repair industry generates many harmful waste streams and today’s settlement serves to provide a cleaner environment for California by preventing the contamination of our precious natural resources when hazardous waste is mismanaged and unlawfully disposed,” Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley said in a written statement.
As part of the settlement, Service King was ordered to pay $1.35 million in civil penalties; $300,000 in investigation costs; and $150,000 toward supplemental environmental projects. Service King will also have to spend $500,000 on equipment designed to limit the release of hazardous auto body wastes into the environment, as well as recycle solvents and waste produced at its shops, according to the report.
