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City of Oakland v. BP P.L.C.

United States District Court for the Northern District of California
325 F.Supp.3d 1017 (2018)

Written by Rose VanHofwegen, JD

Facts

United Nations reports have repeatedly confirmed that burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change. Rising sea levels threaten to flood coastal cities. The cities of Oakland and San Francisco (plaintiffs) sued the five largest privately owned fossil fuel producers in the world, Chevron Corporation, Exxon Mobil Corporation, BP PLC, Royal Dutch Shell PLC, and ConocoPhillips (defendants). After the oil companies removed the case to federal court, the cities added a public-nuisance claim under federal common law. The oil companies moved to dismiss for failure to state a legally cognizable claim.

Rule of Law

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Issue

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Holding and Reasoning (Alsup, J.)

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A "yes" or "no" answer to the question framed in the issue section;
A summary of the majority or plurality opinion, using the CREAC method; and
The procedural disposition (e.g., reversed and remanded, affirmed, etc.).

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