Judge Rules ExxonMobil Must Provide Documents in Climate Change Case
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ExxonMobil has been ordered to hand over documents related to a state investigation into whether it misled the public about the impact of fossil fuels on the climate.
The decision by a Suffolk Superior Court judge is a win for Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who's trying to determine if the company deceived investors and consumers by hiding what it knew about the link between burning fossil fuels and climate change.
An Exxon Mobil Corp. spokesman said the company, based in Irving, Texas, is reviewing the decision to determine its next steps.
The judge ruled that ExxonMobil faced a heavy legal burden in trying to show a reason it shouldn't have to turn over the information. The judge added that, while the attorney general must not act arbitrarily or in excess of her statutory authority, "she need not be confident of the probable result of her investigation."
The legal battle began last year when Healey and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman demanded documents from the firm dating back to 1976.
A related case is pending in Texas, where ExxonMobil is trying to get a federal court to quash Healey and Schneiderman subpoenas of its documents related to climate change.
The decision by a Suffolk Superior Court judge is a win for Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who's trying to determine if the company deceived investors and consumers by hiding what it knew about the link between burning fossil fuels and climate change.
An Exxon Mobil Corp. spokesman said the company, based in Irving, Texas, is reviewing the decision to determine its next steps.
The judge ruled that ExxonMobil faced a heavy legal burden in trying to show a reason it shouldn't have to turn over the information. The judge added that, while the attorney general must not act arbitrarily or in excess of her statutory authority, "she need not be confident of the probable result of her investigation."
The legal battle began last year when Healey and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman demanded documents from the firm dating back to 1976.
A related case is pending in Texas, where ExxonMobil is trying to get a federal court to quash Healey and Schneiderman subpoenas of its documents related to climate change.
