June 2020
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a consumer fraud lawsuit against three major architects of climate denial — ExxonMobil, Koch Industries, and the American Petroleum Institute — for conducting a “campaign of deception” to mislead consumers about the science of climate change and failing to disclose their knowledge that fossil fuel products caused global warming.
The complaint charges the companies with violating Minnesota state laws against consumer fraud, deceptive trade practices, and false statements in advertising. It seeks an end to those illegal practices, financial restitution for the harms Minnesotans have suffered, and asks a state court to require the companies to fund a corrective public education campaign on the issue of climate change.
“The fraud, deceptive advertising, and other violations of Minnesota state law and common law that the lawsuit shows they perpetrated have harmed Minnesotans’ health and our state’s environment, infrastructure, and economy,” Ellison said in a statement
- News: Star Tribune • Bloomberg • Earther
- Analysis: Minnesota A.G. Ellison Sues Exxon, Koch Industries for Lying About Climate Change (2020) • Minnesota takes Exxon, Koch, and the American Petroleum Institute to court for lying about climate change (2020) • Minnesota’s climate fraud suit against Exxon, Koch, API belongs in state court, judge rules (2021) • Exxon, Koch, API ‘should be held liable’ for climate deception in Minnesota courts, brief argues (2021) • Supreme Court Allows Minnesota Climate Lawsuit to Go Forward in State Court (2024) • Minnesota is one step closer to putting Big Oil on trial after Supreme Court decision (2024)
- Read the Complaint: State of Minnesota v. American Petroleum Institute et al.