BOULDER, Colo. — The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday ruled that a landmark lawsuit brought by the City of Boulder and Boulder County against Suncor and Exxon can continue.
The governments filed the lawsuit in 2018, claiming the companies violated state law by contributing to climate change and misleading the public about the role fossil fuels play in climate change. The governments argued that the companies should be forced to pay for some of the damages brought on by climate change.
The companies fought to have the case heard in federal court, but in a 5-2 decision, the Colorado Supreme Court said federal law did not prevent the city and county from claiming that the energy companies violated state law.
Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett said this could be a legal victory comparable to Big Tobacco being found guilty of lying to the public about the dangers of smoking.
"This is really extremely important to us because our community has borne significant damages from the impact of climate change, and those damages are only going to accumulate and get worse over the coming years and decades. And it's only reasonable that those companies that have profited from selling the fuels that have contributed to climate change pay a share of those damages," said Brockett.
Exxon and Suncor deny wrongdoing and did not respond to a request for a statement.
Brockett said that it is not yet known how much money the City and County of Boulder will seek. He also did not know a timeline for the next steps.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.