---
title: "Copy contamination findings and leave liability for the lawyer"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/commercial-property-and-leasing/summarise-environmental-and-contamination-reports-for-the-property-file/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A10-T1-R15-US"
practice_area: "Commercial Property & Leasing"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Copy contamination findings and leave liability for the lawyer

> Columns are the report date, the substance named, the result printed with its unit, and the sentence that names an owner or a transporter. Copy those words.…

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/commercial-property-and-leasing/summarise-environmental-and-contamination-reports-for-the-property-file/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Commercial Property & Leasing](https://ailawframework.com/practice/commercial-property-and-leasing.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | Columns are the report date, the substance named, the result printed with its unit, and the sentence that names an owner or a transporter. Copy those words. Do not say a person is liable and do not compare the result to a standard. |
| What the lawyer must review | 42 U.S.C. § 9607(a) lists four groups who shall be liable, subject only to the defenses in subsection (b): a current owner or operator; a person who owned or operated at the time of disposal; a person who arranged for disposal or treatment; and a person who accepted hazardous substances for transport to a site that person selected, from which there is a release or threatened release. Recoverable amounts include specified response costs, natural-resource damages, and the costs of a health assessment under section 9604(i). Subsection (b) is an act of God, an act of war, a third party who is not an employee, agent, or person in a contractual relationship, if the defendant proves due care and precautions, or a combination. The defendant must establish the defense by a preponderance of the evidence. You decide whether anyone is in a group. A later sentence says an indemnity or hold-harmless agreement does not transfer the liability imposed under the section away from an owner or operator. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Summarise environmental and contamination reports for the property file](https://ailawframework.com/practice/commercial-property-and-leasing/summarise-environmental-and-contamination-reports-for-the-property-file.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: Columns are the report date, the substance named, the result printed with its unit, and the sentence that names an owner or a transporter. Copy those words. Do not say a person is liable and do not compare the result to a standard.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- Do not call the liability strict. The section does not use that word.
- Do not calculate interest. The section provides for it from the later of a written demand or the expenditure.
- A state contamination statute was not opened.

## Sources

- [42 U.S.C. § 9607, CERCLA liability](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/9607) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Formal Opinion 512, Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools (29 July 2024)](https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/professional_responsibility/ethics-opinions/aba-formal-opinion-512.pdf) (checked 2026-10-22)

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*