Connecticut v. ExxonMobil Corp.

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Connecticut v. ExxonMobil Corp is a climate change litigation case brought on ExxonMobil for seeking profit despite knowing the damages it would produce on the environment.

On Monday, September 15, 2020, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong filed a lawsuit against ExxonMobil for their products contributed to the emissions that cause global warming and climate change. The state is "seeking compensation for past, present and future harm from climate change, including for investments already made, and is going after some of the company's profits." [1]

Connecticut accuses ExxonMobil about misleading investors to how their products contribute to climate change. Tong says the state is facing millions of dollars in "damage due to rising sea levels, more storms, increased erosion and other impacts from climate change. [2] Tong claims ExxonMobil knows that burning fossil fuels impact the environment, but instead of admitting it, they try to deceive the public. The case was filed to the Hartford Superior Court. [3]

Currently, the existing case between the state of Connecticut and the ExxonMobil Corp. remains unsettled, there has yet to be any compensation to the state. After the filing of the case in 2020, it was stated by Judge Richard Sullivan in 2022, that given the difficulty of these types of cases, the state court might argue that Connecticut is not entitled to the entirety of the damages caused by global warming from over the last half century/centuries. [4]

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References

  1. "Tong takes on ExxonMobil over climate change". CT Mirror. 14 September 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  2. "Connecticut sues ExxonMobil over climate change, accusing energy giant of misrepresenting threats to the environment". Courant. 14 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  3. "Conn. Latest State To Target Exxon With Climate Fraud Claims". Law360. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  4. "Oil industry seeks SCOTUS lifeline amid mounting setbacks". ClimateWire. E&E News. 26 September 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2023.