Golden State Today

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed an amended complaint in the lawsuit against five of the largest fossil fuel companies—Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and BP—and the American Petroleum Institute (API). The amended complaint seeks disgorgement of profits under AB 1366 to compensate Californians for alleged deception and climate change-related harms. This new legal action also includes further illustrations of what Bonta describes as ongoing "greenwashing" by these companies.

The initial lawsuit was filed last September and accused the defendants of a decades-long campaign to mislead the public about climate change and its connection to fossil fuel combustion. According to the complaint, these companies have known since at least the 1960s that burning fossil fuels would contribute to global warming but chose to deny this in their public statements and marketing efforts.

“This much is clear: Big Oil continues to mislead us with their lies and mistruths, and we won’t stand for that,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Their ongoing egregious misconduct is damning. We will continue to vigorously prosecute this matter and ensure that Big Oil pays to abate the harm they have caused, and we will recover ill-gotten gains that will benefit Californians.”

The amended complaint provides extensive evidence suggesting that deceptive practices persist today. It accuses these companies of falsely portraying their products as environmentally friendly through misleading marketing campaigns—a practice referred to as "greenwashing." The complaint alleges that such claims are likely to mislead consumers into believing that these fossil fuel products are less harmful than they actually are.

In addition, API is accused of continuing to make misleading public statements about oil and natural gas. The request for disgorgement under AB 1366 allows for profits obtained through violations of consumer protection laws to be surrendered. If granted by the court, these funds would be deposited into the newly established Victims of Consumer Fraud Restitution Fund, aimed at providing restitution for victims of consumer fraud in California.

A copy of the amended complaint can be found here.