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."
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And: A rural Orr man was arrested for allegedly shooting a firefighting plane; the Legislature passed a bonding bill; and filings open for public office Tuesday. -
Lorie Shaull/KAXEIn their final hours before the session ended, lawmakers passed a county hospital bailout, an infrastructure bill and small cuts to car tab fees and property taxes. -
Contributed/Ellen Schmidt / MinnPost / CatchLight Local / Report for AmericaHere’s what made it into the Legislature's infrastructure package and what lawmakers and others had to say about it May 17, 2026. -
Malachy Koons/KAXEThe KAXE Music Team on new music from Jobi Riccio, Genesis Owusu, Aldous Harding, Helado Tropical, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Angine de Poitrine and Brooklyn Funk Essentials. Our Pick from '76 is Dolly Parton's "All I Can Do." -
Contributed/St. Louis County Sheriff's OfficeFirefighters responded to a wildland fire between Orr and Crane Lake on Friday, May 15, 2026. After returning to the airport, it was learned a bullet appeared to have struck one of the planes. -
Lorie Shaull/KAXEEvacuated homeowners will be able to return to their properties for the day, Monday, May 18, 2026. Crow Wing County declared a local emergency, the first step toward state disaster aid. -
Contributed/Danielle SullivanReaching Rural Readers sends free books to rural Minnesota high school students. This summer's list includes books by Dawn Quigley, K. Woodman-Maynard, and Kenneth Cadow. -
This is the Up North Lookback, where we’re digging into the local news archives from 50 years ago — the year KAXE was born. It’s the week of May 18.
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As next steps for a proposed data center are considered, Liz Schwab from Google addresses some of the concerns raised at a recent Hermantown City Council meeting.
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Contributed/Doug MitchellWildland firefighters are working on containment and mopping up hot spots for a wildfire that began Saturday afternoon, May 16, 2026, southeast of Crosslake.
