New Jersey AG Sued Five Oil and Gas Companies for Greenwashing and Consumer Deception

OCTOBER 18, 2022

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin filed a lawsuit against five oil and gas companies—Exxon, Shell, Chevron, BP, and ConocoPhillips—as well as the American Petroleum Institute, a fossil fuel industry trade group. The complaint alleged the defendants intentionally deceived consumers about the impact of buying and burning fossil fuels to “manufacture doubt about the existence and causes of climate change” through misleading information and greenwashing campaigns. The lawsuit alleged that these deceptive practices have contributed to accelerated global warming, resulting in detrimental environmental and public health outcomes, especially for low income communities and communities of color.