Washington, DC – National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) Senior Vice President and General Counsel Linda Kelly responded to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision declining to hear ExxonMobil’s appeal of the Massachusetts Supreme Court’s April 2018 decision allowing Massachusetts Attorney General Healey’s investigation into the company’s climate change statements to move forward:

“The decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to not take this case does not change the underlying problems with Attorney General Healey’s investigation. The New York Attorney General’s office brought essentially the same investigation in 2015, received millions of documents from the company, and failed to find a smoking gun. The root of the problem here is that this is a misguided political effort to hold a single manufacturer responsible for a global problem. This political investigation is an abuse of the state’s law enforcement efforts and a waste of Massachusetts’ tax dollars and resources.”

-MAP-

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) will set the record straight and highlight the concerted, coordinated campaign being waged by plaintiffs’ lawyers, public officials, deep-pocketed foundations and other activists who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. This campaign will pull back the curtain to expose these efforts and to hold key actors accountable in order to protect our members and American manufacturing workers. The MAP is a project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), which serves as the leading voice of manufacturers in the nation’s courts. Visit us at mfgaccountabilityproject.org.

Washington, DC – The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP), an arm of the National Association of Manufacturers, responded to news reports that San Francisco and Oakland both replaced Hagens Berman with Sher Edling as its legal representation in the cities’ continued attempt to sue manufacturers over climate change:

“The problem isn’t the quality of the law firm, it is the quality of the lawsuit,” said MAP Executive Director Lindsey de la Torre. “Over the past year, two federal judges have dismissed three baseless climate lawsuits targeting manufacturers, including those brought by Oakland and San Francisco. The fact these cities are now shaking up their legal teams speaks to the disarray this misguided effort now finds itself in after repeated defeats in the courtroom.”

-MAP-

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) will set the record straight and highlight the concerted, coordinated campaign being waged by plaintiffs’ lawyers, public officials, deep-pocketed foundations and other activists who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. This campaign will pull back the curtain to expose these efforts and to hold key actors accountable in order to protect our members and American manufacturing workers. The MAP is a project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), which serves as the leading voice of manufacturers in the nation’s courts. Visit us at mfgaccountabilityproject.org.

Washington, D.C. — In response to New York’s Acting Attorney General Barbara Underwood filing a lawsuit today against Exxon Mobil, the Manufacturers’ Accountability Project’s Executive Director Lindsey de la Torre released the following statement:

“Today’s lawsuit is simply the latest in a string of attempts to target manufacturers in America. Acting New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood has picked up the reins of a failed investigation initiated by former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman that spanned three years and four million pages of material that led nowhere. Rather than focus on productive solutions, Attorney General Underwood moved ahead with this politically-motivated lawsuit, wasting even more taxpayer resources in an effort to infringe on manufacturers’ First Amendment rights. Manufacturers will continue to stand strong and fight back against these abuses of our legal system and efforts to undermine our sector, while maintaining our commitment to addressing environmental challenges.”

-MAP-

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) will set the record straight and highlight the concerted, coordinated campaign being waged by plaintiffs’ lawyers, public officials, deep-pocketed foundations and other activists who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. This campaign will pull back the curtain to expose these efforts and to hold key actors accountable in order to protect our members and American manufacturing workers. The MAP is a project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), which serves as the leading voice of manufacturers in the nation’s courts. Visit us at mfgaccountabilityproject.org.

 

Washington, D.C. — After 12 state attorneys general filed an amicus brief in defense of manufacturers in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, Manufacturers’ Accountability Project Executive Director Lindsey de la Torre released the following statement:

“Once more, a strong coalition of state attorneys general have joined together to support manufacturers against a baseless lawsuit filed by plaintiffs’ attorneys. In contrast, only three state attorneys general have filed briefs in support of this litigation. There’s good reason for that: federal judges have already dismissed three similar lawsuits in California and New York. As the federal judges and now the 12 state attorneys general rightly point out, the legislative and executive branches are the appropriate venues to address this issue, not the courts.  We are hopeful that the judge in King County, will agree and dismiss this baseless lawsuit.”

-MAP-

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) will set the record straight and highlight the concerted, coordinated campaign being waged by plaintiffs’ lawyers, public officials, deep-pocketed foundations and other activists who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. This campaign will pull back the curtain to expose these efforts and to hold key actors accountable in order to protect our members and American manufacturing workers. The MAP is a project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), which serves as the leading voice of manufacturers in the nation’s courts. Visit us at mfgaccountabilityproject.org.

Washington, D.C. – Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) Executive Director Lindsey de la Torre issued the following statement in response to the amicus brief filed in the U.S. Supreme Court by a coalition of national trade associations and legal reform organizations in ConAgra Grocery Products Company, et al. v. The People of the State of California. The lawsuit seeks to overturn a billion dollar judgment holding paint manufacturers liable for removing lead paint from private homes where it was lawfully sold and applied decades ago:

“The national implications of this lawsuit are underscored in the brief filed today by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review this case and overturn a major, unsound departure in liability law. Manufacturers are standing up against this concerning trend of baseless lawsuits seeking to impose massive legal liability on manufacturers through the expansion of so-called “public nuisance” lawsuits.

“The stakes are high. If the Supreme Court does not provide a course correction, manufacturers will face even more lawsuits seeking massive and unprincipled liability. Already, this misuse of tort law has inspired several other public nuisance cases, putting manufacturing jobs at risk in order to line the pockets of trial lawyers.

“The Court should hear the case and help shut the door on this baseless litigation.  These types of lawsuits undermine the fairness of our nation’s legal system, our manufacturing base and our economy.”

–MAP–

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) will set the record straight and highlight the coordinated campaign by trial lawyers and public officials who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. The MAP will hold key actors accountable in order to protect our members and American manufacturing workers. The MAP is a project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), which serves as the leading voice of manufacturers in the nation’s courts. Visit us at www.mfgaccountabilityproject.org.

Washington, D.C. – Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) Executive Director Lindsey de la Torre released the following statement on today’s announcement by Baltimore that the city is suing manufacturers over discredited climate change allegations:

“It’s time for politicians and trial lawyers to put an end to this frivolous litigation. Taxpayer resources should not be used for baseless lawsuits that are designed to enrich trial lawyers and grab headlines for politicians. This abuse of our legal system does nothing to advance meaningful solutions, which manufacturers are focused on every day.”

Lawsuits targeting manufacturers do nothing to address climate change, and as history has demonstrated, these lawsuits stand little chance in the courtroom. Baltimore’s announcement comes just one day after a related lawsuit filed by New York City was dismissed with prejudice by a federal judge. Moreover, U.S. District Judge William Alsup dismissed similar lawsuits filed by San Francisco and Oakland last month, writing, “No plaintiff has ever succeeded in bringing a nuisance claim based on global warming.”

Baltimore argues that their lawsuit is different because it is filed in state court, but it will likely be removed to federal court and dismissed, just like those that came before it.

–MAP–

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) will set the record straight and highlight the concerted, coordinated campaign being waged by plaintiffs’ lawyers, public officials, deep-pocketed foundations and other activists who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. This campaign will pull back the curtain to expose these efforts and to hold key actors accountable in order to protect our members and American manufacturing workers. The MAP is a project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), which serves as the leading voice of manufacturers in the nation’s courts. Visit us at www.mfgaccountabilityproject.org.

Timmons Praises Dismissal of Third Climate Lawsuit in the Past Month

Washington, D.C. – National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President and CEO Jay Timmons issued the following statement responding to U.S. District Judge John Keenan’s dismissal of the climate lawsuit filed by New York targeting manufacturers:

“From the moment this baseless lawsuit was filed, manufacturers have argued that the courtroom was not the proper venue to address this global challenge,” said Timmons. “Judge Keenan made that clear in his decision today. Now that San Francisco, Oakland and New York City have had their cases dismissed, the other municipalities should withdraw their complaints to save taxpayer resources and focus on meaningful solutions.”

The NAM has led the business community’s response to the wave frivolous public nuisance lawsuits targeting manufacturers by forming the Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP), headed by Executive Director Lindsey de la Torre. A project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), MAP has fought to set the record straight and highlight the concerted, coordinated campaign being waged by plaintiffs’ lawyers, public officials, deep-pocketed foundations and other activists who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. More information can be found at mfgaccountabilityproject.org.

-NAM-

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) Releases Reform Principles to End Baseless Litigation Against Manufacturers
Reform Principles Include Transparency, Pre-emptive Legislation, Withdrawal of Lawsuits

 Washington, D.C. –  On the one-year anniversary of the first climate lawsuit filed against manufacturers in California and as part of the ongoing effort to combat baseless litigation against manufacturers, the National Association of Manufacturers’ (NAM) Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) released principles for reform that would protect the strength of the manufacturing industry and the integrity of the nation’s legal system against the growing trend of public nuisance lawsuits against manufacturers. Such lawsuits have been filed in California, New York, Colorado, Washington state and Rhode Island.

“Manufacturing workers, taxpayers and our legal system are all harmed by the ongoing baseless litigation against manufacturers,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “Manufacturers want to be part of the solution in ending these frivolous lawsuits and political stunts. These common-sense reform principles—transparency in contingency-fee agreements, pre-emptive legislation and immediate withdrawal of the lawsuits offer a path forward.  We cannot continue to allow trial attorneys and headline-seeking politicians to abuse the nation’s legal system for their own personal gain.

“The courts have already ruled against this strain of frivolous litigation, most recently when a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit brought by San Francisco and Oakland. Judge William Alsup’s decision in that case should be required reading for other jurisdictions contemplating similar lawsuits. This form of jackpot justice isn’t the answer, and it diverts time and resources that could be better spent working towards real solutions, as manufacturers do every day.”

The MAP’s reform principles call for:

• Public officials to be fully transparent regarding the terms of their arrangements with contingency-fee plaintiffs’ lawyers to whom they have outsourced government legal authority and police power;
• Pre-emption legislation that would protect manufacturers and consumers from frivolous lawsuits, which unfairly seek to charge them with liability for global climate change;
• An immediate withdrawal of all climate change-related lawsuits against manufacturers in America.

 

-MAP-

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) will set the record straight and highlight the concerted, coordinated campaign being waged by plaintiffs’ lawyers, public officials, deep-pocketed foundations and other activists who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. This campaign will pull back the curtain to expose these efforts and to hold key actors accountable in order to protect our members and American manufacturing workers. The MAP is a project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), which serves as the leading voice of manufacturers in the nation’s courts. Visit us at mfgaccountabilityproject.org.

 

Washington, D.C. – Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) Executive Director Lindsey de la Torre released the following statement on today’s announcement by the Rhode Island Attorney General that the state is suing manufacturers over discredited climate change allegations:

“Lawsuits targeting manufacturers do nothing to address climate change, and as history has demonstrated, these lawsuits stand little chance in the courtroom. Just last week, U.S. District Judge William Alsup dismissed similar lawsuits filed by San Francisco and Oakland, writing, “No plaintiff has ever succeeded in bringing a nuisance claim based on global warming.”

“It’s time for politicians and trial lawyers to put an end to this frivolous litigation. Taxpayer resources should not be used for baseless lawsuits that are designed to enrich trial lawyers and grab headlines for politicians. This abuse of our legal system does nothing to advance meaningful solutions, which manufacturers are focused on every day.”

-MAP-

The Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) will set the record straight and highlight the concerted, coordinated campaign being waged by plaintiffs’ lawyers, public officials, deep-pocketed foundations and other activists who have sought to undermine and weaken manufacturers in the United States. This campaign will pull back the curtain to expose these efforts and to hold key actors accountable in order to protect our members and American manufacturing workers. The MAP is a project of the NAM’s Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action (MCLA), which serves as the leading voice of manufacturers in the nation’s courts. Visit us at mfgaccountabilityproject.org.