Exxon Mobil Initiates Defamation Lawsuit Against California Attorney General and Environmental Organizations
The oil company is filing a countersuit against Bonta, who previously initiated a lawsuit against the corporation in September 2024, claiming it “aggravated the global plastics pollution crisis.”
Exxon Mobil Corp., the oil and gas powerhouse, has countered a lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and several environmental organizations on Monday. The company accuses them of orchestrating a defamation campaign aimed at discrediting Exxon’s plastic recycling efforts.
In their original lawsuit, Bonta and the groups charged that Exxon Mobil has been “perpetuating a decades-long campaign of falsehoods that has contributed to the global plastics pollution crisis.”
They further asserted that Exxon misled the public by suggesting that the single-use plastics it manufactured would be recycled, while in reality, the majority are unlikely to be.
In its countersuit filed on Monday, ExxonMobil claimed that Bonta’s lawsuit constitutes defamation.
“Bonta and the domestic proxies—one seeking political advantage and the other being manipulated by foreign interests—have intentionally waged a smear campaign against ExxonMobil, erroneously stating that ExxonMobil’s effective and innovative advanced recycling technology is a ‘false promise’ and ‘void of truth,'” the company stated in its legal filing.
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The oil corporation is pursuing unspecified damages and retractions of the “defamatory statements” made by Bonta and the associated groups.
The Attorney General “is determined to advance his lawsuit against ExxonMobil and anticipates a rigorous court litigation,” the representative emphasized.
Sierra Club spokesperson Jonathan Berman articulated that Exxon is “clearly misunderstanding the difference between defamation and accountability.”
Exxon Mobil Misled Californians, Claims Bonta
In their lawsuit against Exxon Mobil, Bonta and the environmental groups contended that the oil giant deceived Californians for over fifty years with “misleading public declarations” and polished marketing that assured recycling would mitigate the “growing plastic waste problem attributable to ExxonMobil’s production.”
They asserted that the company concealed the detrimental effects associated with plastics.
The complaint pointed to Exxon’s advanced recycling initiative, which employs heat to convert challenging plastic waste into a molecular form for reuse.
According to Bonta and the groups, ExxonMobil “hails the program as a revolutionary technological advancement that will render plastics sustainable,” yet obscures critical information regarding its technical constraints.
They alleged that approximately 5 percent of U.S. plastic waste is recycled, with an recycling rate never surpassing 9 percent.
Moreover, they noted that 92 percent of the plastic waste processed through ExxonMobil’s advanced recycling technology does not get converted into recycled plastic but is predominantly converted into fuels, as per Bonta and the groups’ claims.
The allegations involved violations of both California nuisance law and California unfair competition law.
Bonta and the groups proclaimed that ExxonMobil’s “advanced recycling” program is merely a public relations gimmick crafted to persuade the public to continue purchasing single-use plastics that are contributing to the plastics pollution crisis.
The corporation has been divesting its oil and gas assets in California while criticizing the state’s energy regulations.
The Epoch Times reached out to Bonta’s office for additional comments but did not receive a timely response prior to publication.
Contributions to this report were made by Reuters and The Associated Press.
