No Escape for Big Oil: US Supreme Court Denies Exxon, Chevron's Climate-Change Case Venue Swap

The U.S. Supreme Court reportedly turned away five appeals by Exxon Mobil Corp XOM, Suncor Energy Inc SU, Chevron Corp CVX, and others to move environment-related lawsuits out of state courts and into federal courts.
The justices determined that the lawsuits belonged in state court, a more favorable venue to plaintiffs than federal court.
The lawsuits were filed by the state of Rhode Island and municipalities or counties in California, Colorado, Hawaii, and Maryland, accusing the oil companies of worsening climate change.
Several state and local governments have pursued litigation against oil companies seeking climate-related damages, Reuters reported.
A separate appeal filed by the oil companies challenging lower court decisions in cases out of New Jersey and Delaware is still pending before the Supreme Court.
Theodore Boutrous, an attorney for Chevron, expressed confidence that the cases would be dismissed in state court. Boutrous said the lawsuits are a "national and global magnitude" issue requiring a coordinated federal response, "not a disjointed patchwork" of actions from numerous state courts.
"These wasteful lawsuits in state courts will do nothing to advance global climate solutions, nothing to reduce emissions, and nothing to address climate-related impacts," Boutrous added.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said his state is preparing for trial after "nearly a half-decade of delay tactics" from the oil companies. The Supreme Court's action "marks an important milestone," Neronha added.
President Joe Biden's administration in March urged the justices not to take up the appeal by Exxon and Suncor, arguing that no federal questions had been raised.
Photo by Eveline de Bruin via Pixabay

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