Hagens Berman represents King County, Wash. in a lawsuit filed against BP PLC, Chevron Corp., ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell PLC alleging that the Big Oil giants are responsible for the county’s costs of protecting its more than 2 million residents from global warming-induced harm to the local economy, infrastructure and the safety and welfare of its residents.
KING COUNTY PRESS RELEASE
King County sues oil companies for climate change impacts
May 9, 2018
King County filed a lawsuit today in King County Superior Court against the five largest oil companies to hold them responsible for knowingly contributing to climate disruptions and putting the residents of King County at greater risk of floods, landslides, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and other impacts.
The legal action against BP, Chevron, Exxon Mobile, Royal Dutch and ConocoPhillips seeks an order requiring the companies to fund the costs of adapting infrastructure such as stormwater management, as well as salmon recovery, protecting public health, and other costs.
“The science is undisputable: climate change is impacting our region today, and it will only cause greater havoc and hardships in the future,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “The companies that profited the most from fossil fuels should help bear the costs of managing these disasters. Big Oil spent many decades disregarding and dismissing what is our most pressing generational challenge. We must hold these companies accountable as we marshal our resources to protect and preserve what makes this region great.”
Attorneys for the county say this abatement fund could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The lawsuit was developed with the Seattle-based law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, which helped lead the historic case and settlement against Big Tobacco in the 1990’s. more »
