A Maryland judge has dismissed a pair of lawsuits against fossil fuel companies, delivering a one-two punch to local governments seeking to hold the industry financially accountable for climate change.
Senior Judge Steven Platt of the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County last week rejected cases filed by the city of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, becoming at least the third state judge to toss parts of the lawsuits.
Platt, who last May had allowed the cases to proceed, said he was “persuaded on this second go-round” by a July decision that tossed out a related case involving the city of Baltimore.
In that case, Judge Videtta Brown of the Baltimore City Circuit Court ruled the city’s challenge was beyond the limits of Maryland state law. Baltimore is appealing that ruling, arguing the lower court “fundamentally misconstrued” the city’s case.
