Connecticut AG Filed Lawsuit against ExxonMobil Over Decades-Long Climate Deception Campaign

SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

On September 14, 2020, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong filed a state lawsuit against ExxonMobil alleging that the company “misled and deceived Connecticut consumers about the negative effects of its business practices on the climate” through a “systematic campaign of deception” that spanned several decades. The complaint emphasized that the company’s efforts were “wide ranging, including targeting consumers to spread and reinforce doubt about established climate science” with the goal of “maximiz[ing] profits by selling more oil and gasoline than customers would have purchased had the reality of climate change been disclosed.”

ExxonMobil sought to move the case to federal court, an effort which AG Tong has been working to oppose.

In April 2023, after the Supreme Court denied certiorari in similar cases where fossil fuel companies had attempted to move climate liability lawsuits against them to federal court, AG Tong released the following statement: “The Supreme Court was correct to deny certiorari in Suncor Energy v. Boulder and several other similar cases today. The law is clear – these cases belong in state court, and the Supreme Court’s denial of certiorari confirms what every Circuit to examine this issue has concluded. We are hopeful that the Second Circuit will soon join this unanimous precedent and allow our case to hold ExxonMobil accountable for decades of deception to proceed in state court.”

In September 2023, after a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed that Connecticut’s case against ExxonMobil belongs in Connecticut state court, AG Tong released the following statement: “The Second Circuit has now joined the unanimous conclusion of every single circuit court to examine this issue—state law claims belong in state court. Our case is simple and strong—ExxonMobil amassed billions of dollars in profits off a decades-long campaign of lies, and they must be held accountable. This has always been a straightforward consumer deception case, built on the same Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act that forced accountability for Big Tobacco, the opioid addiction industry, JUUL, and in so many other landmark consumer protection wins. We are ready to aggressively prosecute this case in Connecticut, to uncover and expose ExxonMobil’s lies, and to hold the company accountable for the massive harm their deception caused to our environment, public health, and our economy.”