Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey speaks about gun violence prevention at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 24, 2016. REUTERS/James Lawler Duggan
The Climate Change war between Exxon Mobil Corp. and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey heated up this week in a Texas federal court where Healey asked a judge to throw out Exxon’s lawsuit.
Healey contends the suit is a “transparent attempt at forum shopping” in the company’s fight against her climate change investigation. She is one of several Democratic Attorneys General who launched a probe of Exxon, claiming Exxon mislead consumers and investors about climate change.
“It appears that Exxon may have failed to disclose fully its knowledge of the threats posed by climate change to its businesses and that Exxon continues to make apparently misleading and deceptive statements to investors and consumers,” she charged in one of two motions filed in the Texas federal court.
She also accused the company of understanding for more than three decades the climate-driven risk to its businesses, “yet, Exxon continues to maintain that the future is bright for its investors.”
Healey claims there are legitimate grounds to investigate Exxon under the state’s Consumer Protection Act. She pointed out how an Exxon statement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission this year and a report the company prepared for shareholders in 2014 are evidence supporting her case, according to a report by Inside Climate News.