California Attorney General Rob Bonta has won a lawsuit filed by a state employees union that tried to stop him from using a private law firm to handle the state’s climate case against fossil fuel companies.
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Shelleyanne Chang last week rejected the labor union’s lawsuit that sought to reverse Bonta’s hiring of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, the San Francisco law firm that’s waging a legal battle against the oil giants including Exxon.
Bonta’s office applauded the court ruling, which upheld a December decision by the California State Personnel Board. The board sided with Bonta (D), who argued that he needs specialized lawyers for the legal battle against some of the world’s largest oil corporations.
“This decision comes at a pivotal moment in California’s effort to hold major fossil fuel companies accountable for decades of deception and resulting harm to California’s communities and environment,” Christine Lee, a Bonta spokesperson, said in a statement.
