TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
2
I.
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1
II.
PARTIES ........................................................................................................................... 6
3
4
A.
Plaintiff ................................................................................................................... 6
5
B.
Defendants .............................................................................................................. 7
6
C.
Relevant Non-Parties: Fossil Fuel Industry Associations ..................................... 25
7
III.
AGENCY ......................................................................................................................... 26
8
IV.
JURISDICTION AND VENUE ..................................................................................... 26
9
V.
FACTUAL BACKGROUND ......................................................................................... 27
10
A.
Global Land and Ocean Warming—Observed Effects and Known Cause .......... 27
11
B.
Domoic Acid Outbreaks ....................................................................................... 31
C.
Attribution ............................................................................................................. 34
D.
Defendants Went to Great Lengths to Understand the Hazards Associated With
and Knew or Should Have Known of the Dangers Associated with the
Extraction, Promotion, and Sale of Their Fossil Fuel Products. ........................... 36
E.
Defendants Did Not Disclose Known Harms Associated with the Extraction,
Promotion, and Consumption of Their Fossil Fuel Products and Instead
Affirmatively Acted to Obscure Those Harms and Engaged in a Concerted
Campaign to Evade Regulation. ........................................................................... 50
F.
In Contrast to Their Public Statements, Defendants’ Internal Actions
Demonstrate Their Awareness of and Intent to Profit from the Unabated Use
of Fossil Fuel Products.......................................................................................... 63
G.
Defendants’ Actions Prevented the Development of Alternatives That Would
Have Eased the Transition to a Less Fossil Fuel Dependent Economy. ............... 65
H.
Defendants Caused Plaintiff’s Injuries ................................................................. 72
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
VI.
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
SHER
EDLING LLP
CAUSES OF ACTION ................................................................................................... 76
FIRST CAUSE OF ACTION
(Nuisance) ......................................................................................................................... 76
SECOND CAUSE OF ACTION80
(Strict Liability – Failure to Warn) ................................................................................... 80
THIRD CAUSE OF ACTION
(Strict Liability – Design Defect) ..................................................................................... 82
FOURTH CAUSE OF ACTION
(Negligence) ...................................................................................................................... 86
FIFTH CAUSE OF ACTION
(Negligence – Failure to Warn) ........................................................................................ 88
i
COMPLAINT