Baltimore has become the latest U.S. city to try and hold the world's biggest oil companies financially responsible for global warming.
The lawsuit comes as judges elsewhere have been throwing out headline-generating complaints filed by cities that sought to hold oil companies liable for climate change.
City Solicitor Andre Davis on Friday filed the lawsuit in Baltimore Circuit Court, not federal court. It targets 26 oil and gas companies for damages associated with sea level rise and other effects of climate change.
Companies in the complaint include ExxonMobil, Chevron and Shell. Baltimore is seeking unspecified damages. ExxonMobil could not be immediately reached for comment.
Mayor Catherine Pugh asserts the fossil fuel industry has spent billions to "deceive, delay, distract and attack those who try to hold them accountable for their role in causing climate change."
