US Supreme Court declines to hear Exxon, Koch Industries appeal on venue in climate case

Source: Reuters

US Supreme Court declines to hear Exxon, Koch Industries appeal on venue in climate case

By Clark Mindock
January 8, 2024 11:25 AM EST Updated 26 min ago

Jan 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a bid by major fossil fuel companies and an industry trade group to move a lawsuit filed by Minnesota accusing them of worsening climate change out of state court and into federal court, the energy industry's favored venue.

Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N), Koch Industries and the American Petroleum Institute had asked the justices to review a March decision by the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. That court found that Minnesota's lawsuit accusing the energy industry of engaging in decades of deceptive marketing to undermine climate science and the public's understanding of the dangers of burning fossil fuels belonged in state court, where it was originally filed.

Last year, the justices declined to consider several similar appeals, effectively sending cases filed in California, Colorado, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Maryland and elsewhere back to state court, a venue often seen as more favorable to plaintiffs than federal court.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement Monday that the decision will now allow the case to proceed toward trial in state court, and that the decision aligns with similar decisions in courts across the country.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-supreme-court-declines-hear-exxon-koch-industries-appeal-climate-case-2024-01-08/

Alternate no-paywall link: https://news.yahoo.com/us-supreme-court-declines-hear-151502897.html