District of Columbia Sues Exxon, Shell, BP, Chevron Over Climate

The District of Columbia on Thursday sued four of the largest oil and gas companies—Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp., BP Plc, and Royal Dutch Shell Plc—saying they misled customers about the role their products played causing climate change.

Karl Racine, attorney general for the District, said an investigation by his office “revealed that over more than a half a century, these four companies have engaged in a complex, multimillion-dollar public relations campaign to undermine the growing body of scientific research demonstrating that climate change is man-made.”

The complaint, filed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, comes ...