The Bakersfield Californian reported that on behalf of the State of California, an attorney filed a civil lawsuit against Pacifica Enterprises of San Diego – which owns the Padre Hotel in Bakersfield – for purposely and repeatedly violating state asbestos-removal laws in an attempt to save money.

According to the suit, Pacifica used untrained workers to demolish the Padre, exposing those workers to asbestos. Pacifica also hired a company to illegally dispose of the asbestos in the Bena Landfill, a dump used by the public.

The Californian further reported:

Allegedly, Pacifica did it knowingly in an attempt to avoid the expense of hiring a qualified asbestos removal company to do the job correctly.

Pacifica has been cited multiple times for violating asbestos-related environmental laws in the past, and an unnamed foreman who worked on the hotel renovation said Pacifica employees knew the company was in violation, but thought it could get away with it.

Hoping to send the message to corporations that these practices will not be tolerated, the attorney made a list of fines he’s hoping a judge will impose on Pacifica Enterprises. The list includes six separate charges ranging from $2,500 a day to $500,000 a day for each day the company allegedly violated the law.