Court upholds Minnesota lawsuit against ExxonMobil, others

Minnesota’s lawsuit against three major petroleum organizations will proceed, a Ramsey County court decided Friday, Feb. 14.

Attorney General Keith Ellison sued ExxonMobil, Koch Industries and the American Petroleum Institution in state court in 2020 for "systematically ... deceiving Minnesotans about the true causes and costs of climate change.”

ExxonMobil and API tried to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing a lack of jurisdiction and that the state’s claims are time-barred. The court ruled the state had sufficiently pled causation and its claims regarding failure to warn, fraud, misrepresentation, conspiracy and deceptive trade and advertising.

One of the five counts, relating to the Minnesota Consumer Fraud Act, was dismissed.

Previously, the defendants tried to move the lawsuit to federal court. An Appeals court denied the move in March 2023.

A news release from the Attorney General’s Office says courts have repeatedly ruled the lawsuit was properly filed and pleaded.

"These defendants prioritized their profits over the people of Minnesota, and deception was their business model," Ellison stated in the release. "The court's thorough analysis and well-reasoned order puts us one step closer to proving that in court."