Supreme Court Denies Big Oil Request to Review Climate Lawsuit

The U.S. Supreme Court today denied fossil fuel industry requests to review a Hawai`i Supreme Court decision that allows Honolulu’s historic climate deception lawsuit against Big Oil companies to proceed toward trial. The ruling keeps Honolulu and other communities across the U.S. on track to put Big Oil companies on trial for lying to the public about their role in the climate crisis.

This marks the fourth time since 2023 that the justices declined to consider an appeal from Big Oil companies in the growing number of state and local climate deception lawsuits they face. The U.S. Justice Department had urged the justices to deny Big Oil’s request to consider the Honolulu case.

Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity, released the following statement:

“Big Oil companies keep fighting a losing battle to avoid standing trial for their climate lies. With this latest denial, the fossil fuel industry’s worst nightmare — having to face the overwhelming evidence of their decades of calculated climate deception — is closer than ever to becoming a reality. Communities everywhere are paying dearly for the massive damages caused by Big Oil’s decades-long climate deception. The people of Honolulu and communities across the country deserve their day in court to hold these companies accountable.”

Background on City and County of Honolulu v. Sunoco, et al.

Honolulu’s lawsuit, City and County of Honolulu v. Sunoco, et al., seeks to make major oil and gas companies — including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, and BP — pay for the costs of local climate damages caused by the companies’ decades-long campaign of deception about the dangers of their fossil fuel products.

Oil companies had asked the justices to review a ruling from the Hawai`i Supreme Court that found the federal Clean Air Act does not preempt state law claims to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for their deceptive conduct. The fossil fuel industry and its backers have run a widespread media campaign in an attempt to influence the court to take the case. Justice Alito recused himself from the case.

In a brief urging the Supreme Court to reject Big Oil’s petition, the Justice Department agreed with the Hawai`i Supreme Court that “the Clean Air Act does not categorically preempt respondents’ claims” in part because Honolulu’s claims “target only the [fossil fuel] products’ deceptive marketing.”

Background on U.S. Climate Accountability Lawsuits Against Big Oil:

Eleven attorneys general — in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico — and dozens of city, county, and tribal governments in California, Colorado, Hawai`i, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Washington, and Puerto Rico, have filed lawsuits to hold major oil and gas companies accountable for deceiving the public about their products’ role in climate change. These cases collectively represent more than 1 in 4 people living in the United States. Last year the attorney general of Michigan announced plans to take fossil fuel companies to court.