Subpoenaed Exxon Yet?

The document describes Exxon's legal strategy of initiating discovery processes in Texas against public officials and attorneys from California and Massachusetts. The author characterizes these actions as intimidation tactics designed to disrupt lawsuits filed by California jurisdictions against fossil fuel producers for their role in the climate crisis. It highlights previous failed attempts by Exxon to claim a conspiracy involving NGOs and prosecutors in New York and Massachusetts, and argues that the company is attempting to use municipal bond disclosures to allege fraud against the cities suing it.

• Exxon has requested a state district court in Tarrant County, Texas, to authorize depositions and discovery against sixteen public officials and attorneys representing seven California jurisdictions: San Francisco, Oakland, Imperial Beach, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Santa Cruz County.
• The author asserts that Exxon's legal actions are a recurring tactic used to intimidate those investigating the company and to delay litigation, citing a 2016 instance where Exxon sued the Attorneys General of New York and Massachusetts in a Texas federal court.
• Exxon claims that California courts lack personal jurisdiction because it does not conduct business there, while simultaneously arguing that a Texas court should have jurisdiction over officials from California and Massachusetts.
• Exxon is attempting to use differences between climate impacts alleged in lawsuits and those disclosed in municipal bond filings—specifically citing San Mateo's 2014 and 2016 prospectuses—to justify its legal actions.
• The New York Attorney General's office has found evidence suggesting Exxon misled consumers and investors for decades regarding climate change risks, potentially engaging in an "ongoing fraudulent scheme".

APA

Muffett, C. (2018). Subpoenaed Exxon Yet? Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/subpoenaed-exxon-yet/

Chicago

Muffett, Carroll. Subpoenaed Exxon Yet? Center for International Environmental Law, 2018. https://www.ciel.org/subpoenaed-exxon-yet/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Muffett |first1=Carroll |title=Subpoenaed Exxon Yet? |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=9 January 2018 |url=https://www.ciel.org/subpoenaed-exxon-yet/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{muffett2018subpoenaed, author = {Muffett, Carroll}, title = {{Subpoenaed Exxon Yet?}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2018}, month = jan, url = {https://www.ciel.org/subpoenaed-exxon-yet/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }