A lawsuit against The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in California was settled recently.
A judge ordered that the company must pay $535,000 due to environmental violations spanning several years, according to a news release from the Riverside County district attorney's office. The county will receive $91,000 in civil penalties and $14,513 in cost reimbursement. Additionally, the county's Department of Environmental Health will be awarded $6,000 in civil penalties and $2,000 in cost reimbursement.
The Delaware-based company has eight hotels in California, including one in Rancho Mirage, the news release noted.
Mike Hestrin, the Riverside County district attorney, along with district attorneys from six counties and one city attorney, revealed the news on Wednesday.
The $535,000 payout breaks down to a total of $400,000 in civil penalties and $35,000 in cost reimbursement, according to the news release. An additional $100,000 must be paid "to fund environmental projects furthering environmental enforcement in California."
The lawsuit alleged that The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company improperly disposed of hazardous waste in the trash instead of at an authorized hazardous waste facility, the press release noted. The company also was accused of illegally transporting hazardous waste to local landfills where it was not permitted. Those items included "batteries; electronic devices; ignitable liquids; aerosol products; cleaning agents; and other flammable, reactive, toxic and corrosive materials."
The case against The Ritz-Carlton included several additional district attorney's offices across California, according to the news release. This included Los Angeles, Orange, Placer, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties, as well as the city attorney's office in Los Angeles.