Connecticut’s consumer protection case against ExxonMobil can advance toward trial, following the state court ruling. The lawsuit seeks to hold ExxonMobil accountable for “an ongoing, systematic campaign of lies and deception” about the role of its fossil fuel products in causing climate change. It seeks to make Exxon
- Stop lying in violation of the state’s consumer protection act;
- Pay $5,000 for each time Exxon violated the act;
- Disclose climate research and studies in Exxon’s possession;
- “Fund a corrective education campaign to remedy the harm inflicted by decades of disinformation” — similar to how tobacco companies have been made to fund efforts to educate the public about the harms of smoking;
- Pay “equitable relief” for “past and ongoing deceptive acts and practices associated with climate change” that will require costs to mitigate, adapt, and make Connecticut more resilient; and
- Pay restitution and disgorgement to Connecticut “as appropriate to rectify” Exxon’s “unlawful behavior.”
Judges have allowed similar lawsuits against Exxon and other Big Oil companies in Massachusetts, Hawaii, Colorado, and Maryland, to advance toward discovery and trial in state courts.
www.commondreams.org/newswire/connecticut-prevails-over-exxon-s-attempt-to-escape-climate-deception-lawsuit