District of Columbia sues 4 oil majors for misleading consumers on climate change

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - The attorney general for the District of Columbia yesterday filed a lawsuit against Exxon Mobil Corp, BP Plc, Chevron Corp, and Royal Dutch Shell Plc for “systematically and intentionally misleading” consumers about the role their products play in causing climate change, the latest action by a U.S. attorney general against the oil and gas industry.

The lawsuit brought by Attorney General Karl Racine comes a day after Minnesota AG Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit against the American

Petroleum Institute, Exxon Mobil and Koch Industries for violating state laws barring consumer fraud, deceptive trade practices and false advertising.

“The defendants violated the District’s consumer protection law by concealing the fact that using fossil fuels threatens the health of District residents and the environment,” Racine said in a statement.

The intent of the legal action is to “end these disinformation campaigns and to hold these companies accountable for their deceptive practices,” he said.

Casey Norton, a spokesman for Exxon, said the lawsuit is part of a “coordinated, politically motivated” campaign against energy companies.

“The claims are baseless and without merit. We look forward to defending the company in court,” he said.

Sean Comey, a spokesman for Chevron echoed claims about the merit of the case and said the litigation “distracts” from its efforts to address climate change.