Property owners near Rocky Flats spent 27 years pursuing claims over plutonium contamination. Their case ended in a $375 million settlement. Dow and Rockwell were the defendants—but federal indemnification meant they did not ultimately bear its financial cost. The federal government did.

Decades before homes were built at Candelas, members of the Church-McKay family sued over radioactive contamination of property near Rocky Flats and its effect on land use and value. Years later, Charles Church McKay became a developer of Candelas. The documented history connects Rocky Flats contamination, litigation and modern development in ways many current residents may never have heard.