Service King settles suit alleging it mishandled hazardous waste
OAKLAND — At least 10 district attorney offices throughout the state announced a $2.35 million environmental lawsuit settlement with Service King Paint and Body on Friday.
The suit alleged that the Texas-based car repair company mishandled hazardous waste and confidential customer information, prosecutors said.
Service King illegally dumped hazardous waste generated during auto repairs and violated laws related to storage and management of such waste, according to the suit.
There are three Service King auto body shops in Alameda County — Dublin, Fremont and Oakland — and three in Santa Clara County — Mountain View, Santa Clara and Milpitas. Alameda and Santa Clara district attorneys, as well as others throughout the state, joined in on the lawsuit.
“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 Friday.
Investigators began undercover operations in 2016 of Service King trash containers, which revealed the illegal dumping of hazardous materials including sanding dust, sanding pads, automotive paints, clear coats, solvents and aerosols, according to O’Malley.
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.
Alameda County settled a similar lawsuit against Pep Boys car repair in September for $3.7 million.