Middlesex County, New Jersey, is suing Big Oil companies and their largest trade association for their “past and ongoing deceptions about their role in causing climate change,” and demanding that the companies most responsible for worsening extreme weather events pay for the damage and necessary mitigation. The county is facing rising temperatures, intense precipitation events, destructive floods and coastal storms, and frequent episodes of drought conditions — the costs of which are falling on taxpayers and straining county resources.
“Our residents are not only bearing the costs of damage from flooding and other natural disasters, but also the rising everyday costs of protecting their homes and families from extreme heat and cold. We are taking action to seek compensation for those losses and costs from the corporations whose actions are at the center of this lawsuit, while pursuing resources to strengthen our infrastructure, mitigate future damage, and better protect Middlesex County residents.”
Ronald G. Rios
Middlesex County Commissioner Director
County of Middlesex
Exxon Mobil, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66, Shell
October 1 2026
Climate
Negligence, Public Nuisance, Private Nuisance, Consumer Protection, Trespass
