Department of Environmental Quality Oregon v. Spar Investment Co.

MEMORANDUM *

The Department of Environmental Quality for the State of Oregon (“DEQ”) appeals from the district court’s grant of summary judgment to various owners and operators of a dry cleaning business located in MilwauMe, Oregon. Because the relevant facts are known to the parties they are not repeated here.1

Departing from a baseline of strict liability, see Or.Rev.Stat. § 465.255, the Oregon legislature in 1995 implemented a separate and distinct liability scheme for the dry cleaning industry:

Except as provided under subsections (3), (4), and (5) of this section, no dry cleaning owner or…