NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — Long-pending lawsuits stemming from toxic waste contamination in Niagara Falls’ notorious Love Canal neighborhood have a new court date in May.

The Buffalo News reports a federal appeals court in New York City will hear arguments in early May on whether 19 pending lawsuits should be heard in state or federal court.

The suits stem from a 2011 incident in which sewer repair crews struck contaminated waste in the area. Love Canal was the site of a landfill where massive contamination occurred in the 1970s, causing health and property damage. T

he current suits claim a containment structure built in the 1980s to store toxic waste has leaked.