Big Oil Faces First-Ever Lawsuit Over a Person’s Death in a Climate Disaster

WASHINGTON STATE — For the first time ever, a civil lawsuit has been filed to hold Big Oil companies accountable for the role their decades-long climate deception played in causing an individual person’s death. The wrongful death case, Leon v. ExxonMobil et al., was filed in Washington State by the daughter of a woman who died of hyperthermia in the 2021 Pacific Northwest Heat Dome — an event scientists said would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change. The story was first reported by The New York Times.

Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity, released the following statement:

“Big Oil companies have known for decades that their products would cause catastrophic climate disasters that would become more deadly and destructive if they didn’t change their business model. But instead of warning the public and taking steps to save lives, Big Oil lied and deliberately accelerated the problem. Now people are dying, and these architects of climate denial and deception will have to answer for their conduct in a court of law.

“Big Oil’s victims deserve accountability. This is an industry that is causing and accelerating climate conditions that kill people. They’ve known it for 50 years, and at some point they must be held accountable. These same Big Oil companies are already facing climate fraud and damages lawsuits from dozens of state and local governments — and a growing number of those cases are moving toward trial. This latest case — the first filed on behalf of an individual climate victim — is another step toward accountability.”

Background on U.S. Climate Accountability Lawsuits Against Big Oil:

Ten U.S. states — California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai`i, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont — and the District of Columbia, along with dozens of city, county, and tribal governments in California, Colorado, Hawai`i, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Washington, and Puerto Rico, have filed lawsuits to hold major oil and gas companies accountable for deceiving the public about their products’ role in climate change. These cases collectively represent more than 1 in 4 people living in the United States. Last year, the attorney general of Michigan announced plans to take fossil fuel companies to court.