By Karen Savage
ExxonMobil told a federal court that a climate fraud lawsuit filed against it by Connecticut Attorney General William Tong should be dismissed because the company does not sell gas in the state.
“ExxonMobil has not owned or operated service stations (including those branded ‘Exxon’ and ‘Mobil’) in Connecticut since 2011,” the oil giant said in a motion to dismiss filed Friday in U.S. District Court.
Exxon, despite its claims, lists more than 200 “Exxon and Mobil service stations” in Connecticut on its website. The company unsuccessfully attempted to use this same claim—that Exxon stations were actually independent businesses unaffiliated with the oil giant—to invalidate a Massachusetts climate investigation against it.
Tong filed suit in Connecticut state court against the oil giant in September, alleging that Exxon conducted an ongoing, systematic campaign of lies and deception to deceive residents in his state about climate change. The suit alleges several state law violations, including willful violations of Connecticut’s unfair trade practices and consumer protection laws. The company moved the case to federal court in October, but the state is appealing.
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