Environmentalists see path to trial for climate nuisance cases after latest Big Oil loss

ExxonMobil and other oil majors’ attempts to move climate lawsuits brought by cities and counties to federal court have repeatedly backfired, a setback environmentalist attorneys say all but guarantees at least one of the cases will go the distance.

Cities and counties from San Francisco to Boulder to Baltimore are seeking billions in damages to compensate for adapting to climate change effects, including sea level rise, intensified storms, and worsening wildfires.

The number of cases, already over a dozen, is growing, and environmental attorneys say the cities’ recent wins in the court venue fights could embolden more legal action. In late June, attorneys general in Minnesota and Washington, D.C., brought new lawsuits against Exxon. Washington's lawsuit also includes other oil majors, such as BP and Shell, and Minnesota is also suing the American Petroleum Institute and Koch Industries.