Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is leading the way in suing five huge oil companies over climate change and for allegedly deceiving consumers concerning the dangers of fossil fuels.
“In its nearly 200-page complaint filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County late Tuesday, Chicago listed BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Phillips 66, Shell, and the American Petroleum Institute (API) as defendants. The filing blames the companies for causing global warming broadly and a series of specific deadly weather events in the city stretching back decades,” Fox News reported.
Johnson trotted out the climate change boogeyman blaming oil companies for the ills of Chicago. The Democrat mayor railed against the energy companies that have kept Americans warm in the winter and cool in the summer while providing the United States a standard of living that is the envy of the world.
“There is no justice without accountability,” Johnson said in a statement. “From the unprecedented poor air quality that we experienced last summer to the basement floodings that our residents on the West Side experienced, the consequences of this crisis are severe, as are the costs of surviving them. That is why we are seeking to hold these defendants accountable.”
(Video Credit: CBS Chicago)
“Evidence shows that these defendants intentionally misled Chicago residents about the climate change-related dangers associated with their oil and gas products. If unabated, climate change could result in catastrophic impacts on our city,” added Chicago counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry. “We bring this lawsuit to ensure that the defendants who have profited from the deception campaign bear responsibility for their conduct.”
The city is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation due to loss-of-use damages, and penalties and fines for statutory violations. And in a situation reminiscent of the treatment of former President Trump in New York, Chicago is demanding disgorgement of profits from the companies as well as prohibiting them from “engaging in the deceptive and unfair acts and practices alleged in the lawsuit.”
The Chicago Sun-Times got a hold of a copy of the complaint and it evidently shows 11 alleged counts of fraud, nuisance, conspiracy, and negligence.
The complaint also refers to a “1995 heat wave which claimed the lives of more than 700 residents as evidence of the dangers posed by fossil fuels. It also blames the oil companies for extreme heat, increased rain, and flooding,” according to Fox News.
Chicago sues Big Oil in Cook County over climate — the perfect venue for the global warming hoax. My advice to Big Oil is to stop selling oil and gas in Cook County and watch how fast the lawsuit is dismissed.https://t.co/hHTtQkXr8Vpic.twitter.com/PB8QYNLtQ3 — Steve Milloy (@JunkScience) February 20, 2024
“The record of the past two decades demonstrates that the industry has achieved its goal of providing affordable, reliable American energy to U.S. consumers while substantially reducing emissions and our environmental footprint,” API Senior Vice President and General Counsel Ryan Meyers told Fox News Digital in a statement in connection to the outrageous complaint.
“This ongoing, coordinated campaign to wage meritless, politicized lawsuits against a foundational American industry and its workers is nothing more than a distraction from important national conversations and an enormous waste of taxpayer resources,” Meyers added referring to the Left’s unbridled lawfare. “Climate policy is for Congress to debate and decide, not a patchwork of city halls and courts.”
This type of complaint is being utilized across the country by leftists. The California law firm Sher Edling is representing the city of Chicago. They have been at the forefront of climate-related public nuisance lawsuits being filed all over the place that contend oil companies should be held financially responsible for climate change.
“The firm has filed cases on behalf of Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Minnesota, New York City, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Baltimore, Honolulu and local governments across the country. In January, a judge consolidated seven of Sher Edling’s local climate cases in California with the state government’s case, meaning the firm effectively has a role in the deception case filed by the State of California as well,” Fox News noted.
Chicago has sued oil companies for “causing” climate change. A law firm funded by left-wing nonprofits is representing the city. How many Chicagoans could have survived this winter without fossil fuels? — Daniel Turner (@DanielTurnerPTF) February 21, 2024
“The firm has raised millions of dollars from liberal dark money nonprofits to fund its pursuits. While the entirety of Sher Edling’s funding structure is unknown, the firm has for years taken donations from a pass-through fund managed by the left-wing New Venture Fund, whose individual donors are obscured from public view, meaning donors are able to remain anonymous,” the media outlet wrote.
The efforts by this law firm and climate change radicals have been going on for some time but their claims are gaining steam through lawfare tactics that are succeeding in liberal courts.
“Big Oil has lied to the American people for decades about the catastrophic climate risks of their products, and now Chicago and communities across the country are rightfully insisting they pay for the damage they’ve caused,” Richard Wiles, the president of the Center for Climate Integrity, declared.
“With Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city, joining the fray, there is no doubt that we are witnessing a historic wave of lawsuits that could finally hold Big Oil accountable for the climate crisis they knowingly caused,” he asserted.
People slammed the insane lawfare on X:
It’s like Chicago has a 6th grader running the city! — FloridaYankee (@VulcanLawyer) February 21, 2024
Madness — Gerald McGovern (@gmcgovern128) February 21, 2024
The lawfare coming from Equity folks is astonishing — Cat Ryan (@CatQuestionsAll) February 21, 2024
They’re desperate to refill their coffers because they’re broke and are looking for alternate sources of revenue. — Mannster (@MannsterRick) February 21, 2024
This is what they spend their efforts on with all their problems. It’s obviously money motivated with their deficits and problems. They’ve taken ambulance chasing to a new level — Auveed Cawthon (@auveed) February 21, 2024
They got Caligula Jr. as mayor now or something? — *Dr. Drew Nagy (@DrewNagy1) February 21, 2024