Ritz-Carlton Ordered To Pay Orange County In Environmental Lawsuit

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA — The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company illegally disposed of hazardous waste in Riverside County and elsewhere in the state, and now it will pay for those violations, a judge ruled this week.

In total, the company was ordered to pay $535,000 in civil penalties and other costs due to environmental violations. The final judgment was signed Monday by Riverside County Superior Court Judge Kira L. Klatcho.

The payout is the result of an investigation by the Riverside County District Attorney's Office and six other Golden State counties and one city into the unlawful disposal of hazardous waste by the Delaware-based LLC over the last several years at its eight California hotels, including the Ritz-Carlton in Rancho Mirage.

The lawsuit alleged that instead of storing, transporting, and disposing of hazardous waste at authorized facilities, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company unlawfully dumped it in the trash and illegally transported it to local landfills not permitted to receive the rubbish.

The hazardous waste included, but was not limited to, batteries, electronic devices, ignitable liquids, aerosol products, cleaning agents, and other flammable, reactive, toxic, and corrosive materials, according to the lawsuit.

A request for comment was not immediately returned from the company, but a news release from the office of Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin stated, "The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has implemented improved policies and procedures as well as improved training programs to properly manage and dispose of hazardous waste. The company’s hazardous waste is now collected by state-registered haulers to properly transport it to authorized disposal facilities and is being properly documented."

In total, the judgment requires The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company to pay $400,000 in civil penalties and $35,000 in cost reimbursement. An additional $100,000 will go to fund environmental projects furthering environmental enforcement in California.

Riverside County will receive $91,000 in civil penalties and $14,513 in cost reimbursement from the company. The Riverside County Department of Environmental Health will also receive $6,000 in civil penalties and $2,000 in cost reimbursement, Hestrin's office reported.

The lawsuit against The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company was brought by Hestrin and district attorney’s offices in Orange, Los Angeles, Placer, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties, as well as the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.