A Maryland judge dismisses Baltimore's climate lawsuit against oil companies

A Maryland judge dismisses Baltimore's climate lawsuit against oil companies

A Baltimore judge dismissed the city's climate lawsuit against major oil companies, saying state courts cannot address global issues like climate change.

Aman Azhar reports for Inside Climate News.


In short:

  • Filed in 2018, Baltimore's lawsuit aimed to hold oil companies like Chevron, Exxon, and BP accountable for environmental damages.
  • Judge Brown ruled that federal law, not state law, governs such global pollution-based complaints.
  • Baltimore plans to appeal, arguing that the lawsuit addresses consumer fraud, not emission regulation.

Key quote:

"Global pollution-based complaints were never intended by Congress to be handled by individual states."

— Videtta A. Brown, Baltimore Circuit Court Judge

Why this matters:

This ruling sets a precedent that could limit state-level legal actions against oil companies for climate-related damages. It challenges efforts to hold fossil fuel industries accountable for their role in climate change.

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