A federal court rejected Big Oil’s arguments to move the county’s lawsuit, which seeks damages from the 2021 heat dome, out of state court
OREGON — Multnomah County’s lawsuit that seeks to make Big Oil companies pay billions for their climate lies and associated damages can proceed in state court where it was originally filed, the U.S. District Court of Oregon ruled this week. The ruling continues an unbroken streak of courts rejecting Big Oil’s arguments to escape facing climate accountability lawsuits from municipal and state governments in state court.
Multnomah County made history last summer when it sued ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, and other oil companies to hold them accountable for decades of climate deception that ultimately fueled the deadly 2021 heat dome in the Pacific Northwest.
Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity, released the following statement:
“This is an important win for Multnomah County’s efforts to hold Big Oil accountable. Big Oil companies are terrified of facing the evidence of their climate lies, but judges have consistently rejected their efforts to avoid trial in state court. Multnomah County has already paid dearly for the fossil fuel industry’s climate deception, and now the people are one step closer to having their day in court.”
Background on State and Local Climate Accountability Lawsuits Against Big Oil
The attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the District of Columbia, as well as dozens of municipal governments in California, Colorado, Hawai`i, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Puerto Rico, and two tribal governments, have filed lawsuits to hold major oil and gas companies accountable for deceiving the public about their products’ role in climate change.