A Washington, D.C., Superior Court judge has rejected efforts by the oil and gas industry to dismiss a climate liability lawsuit that seeks to force Chevron and other energy giants to pay for climate impacts such as floods.
The ruling Monday by Judge Yvonne Williams is a win for local governments across the U.S. suing the oil and gas industry over climate, and it moves the case filed by the District of Columbia closer to trial.
The verdict comes as groups critical of the climate litigation have asked two influential House panels to examine D.C.’s use of outside lawyers on the case.
In four separate but similar rulings, Williams rejected motions by Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Shell and BP to dismiss the case, which centers on D.C.’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act. Filed in 2020, the lawsuit alleges the companies failed to adequately warn customers about their products’ planet-warming effects.
