Big Oil Faces Consequences As Cities File Lawsuits For Environmental Destruction

On this episode of America’s Lawyer, Mike Papantonio and Farron Cousins discuss climate change lawsuits from U.S. cities that aim to have fossil fuel industries pay the damages that are expected to turn out. Then Mike talks with Brigida Santos about how corporate Marijuana growers might take over the Marijuana market. He also talks about a re-trail for a Judge that imprisoned kids for money.

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Recently, the city of Richmond, California because the 9th US city to file a lawsuit against oil companies for their role that they played in destroying the planet. Specifically, the city is suing these companies because they're contributing to rising sea levels and they're gonna have a major impact on the city that's surrounded by ... It's surrounded by water on three sides. They have a problem. The lawsuit filed by the city of Richmond, as well as other states that have filed lawsuits are important because they may be our last best shot at preventing some of the worst consequences of climate change. The United States has never had a clear policy when it comes to dealing with the threat of climate change.

Even though President Obama and President Bush told us that climate change was real, neither of them laid out a clear strategy or enacted any policies that would have provided relief for the warming planet. Instead, every positive step that was taken was met with two pro-industry steps backwards, which has lead us to the crisis that we face today. For too long, oil companies have understood that the threat of climate change and their role in the disaster ... They've understood the connection. And they did everything possible to cover up those dangers, but as more and more lawsuits are filed against oil giants like Exxon and Chevron and BP, we just might finally make some meaningful advancements to help protect both the planet and the citizens who are threatened by this problem.

Joining me now to talk about this is Farron Cousins, the executive editor of the Trial Lawyer magazine. Farron, start by telling us exactly what these lawsuits are about. Lay it out for us.

Well, basically, the city of Richmond, California and the other eight cities that have also filed lawsuits like this, they're saying that the oil industry is directly responsible for the rising sea levels that is threatening the livelihood and basically the very existence of these cities. And they say that because of the contributions that these companies have put forth to make the air dirtier and to cause the climate to warm and the sea levels to rise, they are responsible for the damages that we are currently seeing, and the even worse damages that we know are right around the corner. And it's a very unique lawsuit with the ... What they're going after here is they're finally doing it basically the right way.

They understand that the science now can tell us that, yes, the oil industry is directly responsible for the rising emissions that are then directly responsible for climate change and rising sea levels. Therefore, the damage that we are seeing in our city, and the city of Richmond, and the city of other ... The other ones that have filed lawsuits, they say that this is directly related to your activity and that is why we're coming after your infrastructure, our roads, our bridges, increased salinity, it's all because of you.

Right. Well, Farron, if they don't pay for their damage, they externalize all these costs to everybody else, and taxpayers, the people watching this program end up paying for all of those damages, it's like a company that pollutes a river or a stream, and then tax payers have to end up paying for it.