After a bit more than a twelvemonth of sound wrangling , a landmark lawsuit against ExxonMobil has ended with the oil behemoth emerge unscathed .
New York Supreme Court Judge Barry Ostrager rule that the company did n’t engage in fraudulent behavior to misguide shareowner about how it accounted for climate change . It ’s thesecond high - profile caseagainst Big Oil to cease with the companies most responsible for clime chaos scoring a victory , although this ruling has at least some silver liner .
https://gizmodo.com/bp-just-got-its-ass-sued-for-false-advertising-1840213409
Photo: AP
The bicycle of the New York caseful began reverse last year after the state ’s lawyer full general sued Exxon for allegedly lying to shareholder . The office debate that Exxon showed investors one set of accounting playscript while retain another , interior set secret . The centre of the title was that Exxon say investors it built an $ 80 - per - ton damage on carbon into its projects , arrogate that the populace ’s governments would finally get their shit together . But internally , the attorney general ’s office staff take , Exxon slapped a much low price on C .
The case go to test in October and it last until early November . Inhis ruling , Ostrager said that the court “ found the allegations without merit ” and that New York ’s lawyer superior general “ failed to rise , by a preponderance of the grounds , that ExxonMobil made any material misstatements or omission about its practices and procedures that mislead any sensible investor . ” The opinion come after the attorney general dropped two of its charges against the company , so this is a real flush in the gut .
The fact that Exxon baffle off feels like a bad finish for a Scooby - Doo episode where the regretful guy wire get awaydespite meddling kids . Add in the fact that it come a year and a half after a shell that a smattering of California urban center governments filed against Big Oil fellowship got tossed out , and it seems like we ’re fairly damn screwed . Courts have done exactly seaman shit to hold fossil fuel companies accountable to - escort . But about that silver liner …
“ Nothing in this view is intended to shrive ExxonMobil from responsibility for add to mood change through the emanation of greenhouse gases in the output of its fogy fuel products , ” Ostrager compose .
And on that note , there is anumber of other casesmoving forward in various courtrooms that will continue to put Big Oil on test for everything from cut across up what it knew about mood change to damages wrought by its product . There are also external grammatical case in the offing , including one that just spend last weekgoing after BPfor false publicizing .
Beyond the courts , Democratic presidential candidates are also ramping up pressure . SenatorsBernie SandersandElizabeth Warrenhave both say they would arrest fossil fuel polluters accountable . Even Congress hasshown some interestin Big Oil answerability .
There ’s no denying that the era of liberal Oil lawsuits is off to a rocky start in term of bringing tumid corporate polluters to answer for . But then the era is far from over . And there’sno deficit of thingsto score oil majors with .
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