ExxonMobil, Koch Industries, American Petroleum Institute Named in Climate Change Litigation

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has filed suit against fossil fuel organizations ExxonMobil, Koch Industries and the American Petroleum Institute.  Minnesota joins at least 15 other plaintiffs, including attorneys general in Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island, who have brought similar lawsuits on the basis that the defendants allegedly defrauded consumers by covering up the effects of climate change.

Most of the world would be thrilled to see any of these suits move forward to ultimately succeed, and it’s clearly true that these organizations deliberately lied to everyone on the planet about the damage they knew would ultimately ensue as a result of their business model.  But will the law find them culpable?

Success seems far more likely in the criminal case brought against ExxonMobil by the State of New York on the basis that they defrauded investors by misrepresenting their balance sheet, knowing that certain underground assets were likely to become stranded.

Lie to the world scientific community and ruin a planet?  Yawn.

Piss off some wealthy investors? Felony.