As reported by the Washington Examiner, “MARYLAND JUDGE DISMISSES TWO CLIMATE LAWSUITS TARGETING CHEVRON: In a win for Big Oil, a judge has dismissed two climate lawsuits filed in Maryland against Chevron, BP, Shell, and more, saying federal law preempts state law claims against the oil companies.
The details: The lawsuits, filed by the City of Annapolis and County of Anne Arundel, stem as far back as 2021, when the local governments sought to sue the oil companies for their role in contributing to climate change. They claimed the companies had engaged in deceptive practices by failing to inform the public about the negative impacts of fossil fuels.
Anne Arundel County Circuit Judge Steven Platt originally ruled against dismissing the lawsuits last year, but reversed his decision last Thursday following a number of other rulings nationwide that threw out similar suits, according to Maryland Matters. In his ruling, Platt specifically pointed to the ruling issued by a Baltimore City Circuit Judge who opted to dismiss a nearly identical case saying “this Court need not consider the individual state law claims.””
Both plaintiffs were recruited by the Rockefeller Family Fund group Center for Climate Integrity. CLW readers may recall that Anne Arundel County was the one, the sole governmental climate plaintiff whose response to an open-records request which focused on the issue of the required disclosure/ informed (written) consent about third-party payment for litigation that indicated any reference, discussion whatsoever or even knowledge of the fact that its law firm, Sher Edling, had been paid by an outside foundation to pursue these “contingency fee” suits. The reference came in just one email, what the court in a Maryland PIA case brought by Energy Policy Advocates called the
