U.S. Appeals Court upholds $14 mln judgment against Exxon

A view of the Exxon Mobil refinery in Baytown, Texas September 15, 2008.

HOUSTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) – The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court docket of Appeals in New Orleans on Tuesday upheld a $14.25 million judgment in opposition to Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) for air pollution from its Baytown, Texas, refining and petrochemical complicated.

The judgment stems from a U.S. Clear Air Act lawsuit introduced by two environmental teams, Atmosphere Texas and the Sierra Membership Lone Star Chapter.

That is Exxon’s second attraction of a Houston U.S. district court docket’s ruling that Exxon was answerable for repeated releases of air pollution from the refinery and chemical vegetation in Baytown.

Exxon stipulated the Baytown complicated had 16,286 days of violations between October 2005 and September 2013, which included a number of simultaneous violations.

“Whereas we respect the court docket’s opinion, we disagree with the choice,” mentioned Exxon spokeswoman Julie King. “We’ve got acted responsibly and in accordance with regulatory necessities. We’re reviewing the choice and contemplating subsequent steps.”

Luke Metzger, government director of Atmosphere Texas, referred to as on Exxon to simply accept the repeated choices within the case in opposition to the corporate.

“After 13 years of litigation – together with a three-week trial, two appeals, two remands of the case to the trial court docket for added findings, and three appellate choices in opposition to them – it’s long gone time for Exxon to simply accept duty and eventually pay what it owes to the general public for years of unlawful, poisonous air pollution,” Metzger mentioned.

The case was introduced by the 2 teams below a provision of the Clear Air Act that permits residents to sue when authorities businesses have failed to stop air pollution.

Reporting by Erwin Seba; modifying by Richard Pullin

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