This story was updated at 9:30 a.m. EST.
This story was updated at 9:30 a.m. EST.
Chicago filed suit Tuesday against six oil companies and an influential industry ally, joining the ranks of local governments looking to hold fossil fuel producers financially accountable for the effects of climate change.
The lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court accuses the companies, their subsidiaries and industry trade association the American Petroleum Institute of waging a campaign to discredit climate science and mislead the public about the dangers of burning fossil fuels.
filed in Cook County Circuit Court
“While defendants have promoted and profited from their deceptive conduct, the city and its residents have spent and will continue to spend substantial sums to recover from the effects of climate change,” the lawsuit says, noting that Chicago is facing more frequent and intense storms, flooding, droughts and extreme heat.
