A Connecticut court delivered a victory to local governments across the U.S. that are suing oil and gas companies for climate-related damages by rejecting Exxon Mobil’s bid to dismiss the state’s case.
Superior Court Judge John Farley sided with the state in a decision issued last week declaring that federal law does not prevent Connecticut from suing the oil giant over misleading advertising.
The “fundamental objective of the lawsuit,” Farley wrote, is “to remedy the defendant’s alleged unfair and deceptive marketing practices.”
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Exxon had sought to dismiss the case on several grounds, including that federal common law prevents local governments from suing over greenhouse gas emissions.
