AUSTIN - The Texas Supreme Court denied ExxonMobil’s petition for review Friday, halting the oil giant’s legal effort to pull back the curtain on the authors of climate change litigation.
Exxon’s petition for review argued several California municipalities and Matthew Pawa, a Massachusetts lawyer, are attempting to chill speech and commandeer public policy with climate change lawsuits, subjecting them to personal jurisdiction in Texas courts.
The oil giant’s legal fight has drawn support from many notable individuals and groups, including Gov. Greg Abbott, who filed a brief back in May arguing that no Texan voted for the California officials orchestrating climate change lawfare.
The case stems from a petition Exxon filed in Tarrant County District Court in response to the climate change litigation, seeking pre-suit discovery for a potential lawsuit against the California municipalities and officials and Pawa.
Exxon’s case against the California municipalities ended up in the Second Court of Appeals after a Texas judge found the cities and counties were hypocritical in suing Exxon.
The municipalities had claimed doom to their infrastructures will be caused by rising sea levels, but when issuing bond offers to potential investors, they had neglected to mention this alleged, near-certain destruction.
The Second Court found that was not enough to keep the litigation here, despite feeling an impulse to protect the energy sector.
Case No. 20-0558