The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear bids by Exxon Mobil Corp, Suncor Energy Inc, Chevron Corp, and others to move lawsuits filed by state and local governments accusing the oil companies of worsening climate change out of state courts and into federal courts.
The justices turned away five appeals by the oil companies of lower court decisions that determined that the lawsuits belonged in state court, a venue often seen as more favorable to plaintiffs than federal court. The lawsuits were filed by the state of Rhode Island and municipalities or counties in California, Colorado, Hawaii and Maryland.
Numerous state and local governments have pursued litigation against oil companies seeking climate-related damages. A separate appeal filed by the oil companies challenging lower court decisions in cases out of New Jersey and Delaware is still pending before the Supreme Court.
Theodore Boutrous, an attorney for Chevron, expressed confidence that the cases will be dismissed in state court. Boutrous said the lawsuits are an issue of “national and global magnitude” that require a coordinated federal response, “not a disjointed patchwork” of actions from numerous state courts.
“These wasteful lawsuits in state courts will do nothing to advance global climate solutions, nothing to reduce emissions and nothing to address climate-related impacts,” Boutrous added.
Discover more from News Facts Network
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
