Air conditioner manufacturers were dealt a setback in their attempt to derail a New York City law that holds them responsible for the safe disposal of potentially harmful refrigerants in residential appliances.
Southern District Judge Lorna Schofield denied the appliance-makers judgment on the pleadings in Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers v. The City of New York, 13 civ. 07888, ruling that the city was acting well within its police powers to deal with refuse within its borders in passing Local Law 69, which puts the onus on appliance-makers to recover refrigerants in old residential equipment that can damage the ozone.
