Kansas Statutes 65-34,107. Same; evidence of financial responsibility required; limitation of liability
(a) Each owner or operator of an underground storage tank shall provide evidence of financial responsibility.
(b) If the owner or operator is in bankruptcy, reorganization or arrangement pursuant to the federal bankruptcy law, or if jurisdiction in any state or federal court cannot be obtained over an owner or operator likely to be solvent at the time of judgment, any claim arising from conduct for which evidence of financial responsibility must be provided under this act may be asserted directly against the guarantor providing the evidence of financial responsibility. In the case of action pursuant to this subsection, the guarantor is entitled to invoke all rights and defenses which would have been available to the owner or operator if any action had been brought against the owner or operator by the claimant and which would have been available to the guarantor if any action had been brought against the guarantor by the owner or operator.
Terms Used In Kansas Statutes 65-34,107
- Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
- Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Guarantor: A party who agrees to be responsible for the payment of another party's debts should that party default. Source: OCC
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Owner: means any person who owns or leases, or has owned or leased, a drycleaning facility and who is or has been responsible for the operation of drycleaning operations at such drycleaning facility. See Kansas Statutes 65-34,142
- Person: means individual, partnership, firm, trust, company, association, corporation, individual or individuals having controlling or majority interest in a corporation, institution, political subdivision, state agency or federal department or agency. See Kansas Statutes 65-3402
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
(c) The total liability of a guarantor shall be limited to the aggregate amount which the guarantor has provided as evidence of financial responsibility to the owner or operator under this section. This subsection does not limit any other state or federal statutory, contractual or common law liability of a guarantor to its owner or operator, including, but limited to, the liability of the guarantor for bad faith in negotiating or in failing to negotiate the settlement of any claim. This subsection does not diminish the liability of any person under section 107 or 111 of the comprehensive environmental response, compensation and liability act of 1980, or other applicable law.