Baker Botts Secures Partial Win for Union Pacific in Environmental Lawsuit

Houston’s 14th Court of Appeals handed Union Pacific a limited victory last week when it dismissed negligent misrepresentation claims by 13 residents of a predominantly Black neighborhood against the railroad giant for allegedly polluting the community with creosote, a suspected carcinogen.

The three-judge panel, however, refused to dismiss scores of other claims brought by six dozen residents of the Kashmere Gardens neighborhood who accuse Union Pacific of knowingly contaminating their community and making misleading or false statements about the health risks.