“The Court Ought To Toss This Kitchen-Sink Case”

On Sunday, the New York Daily News editorial board highlighted the hypocrisy of the public nuisance lawsuit filed by New York City against manufacturers earlier this year and urged the case be dismissed:

Good thing the city’s private attorneys are working on contingency — for free unless they win — because their argument amounts to an advertisement for Mayor de Blasio’s credentials as a climate crusader. The court ought to toss this kitchen-sink case however urgent the cause.

 …the very city government that’s suing the oil companies is still buying and burning 38 million gallons a year of fossil fuel for transportation alone despite massive investments in hybrid and electric vehicles.

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) has pushed back against New York City’s lawsuit from the beginning.  Most recently, MAP called on the court to dismiss this baseless lawsuit: “Similar litigation has been tried in the past and rejected by the courts yet trial attorneys, who stand to gain large contingency fees, persist in filing baseless litigation that undermines the continued success of one our nation’s most vibrant sectors.”

The same hypocrisy charge could be made toward each of the municipalities in California, Washington and Colorado that have filed similar lawsuits against manufacturers, spurred on by trial attorneys seeking to benefit financially. As the Daily News advises, other cities and counties considering jumping on the baseless lawsuit bandwagon “should think twice before throwing stones.”