Exxon Must Face Trespass Claims in Refinery Toxic Seepage Case

Exxon Mobil Corp. must face revived claims that it violated California trespassing law when its refinery plant near Los Angeles leaked toxic petroleum products into the ground near residential homes, a federal appeals court said Monday.

But the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in its nonprecedential decision also affirmed a lower court’s decision to toss out public nuisance claims by a Torrance, Calif., resident who alleged the refinery’s air pollution caused him substantial harm.

Residents near the century-old refinery first brought the class action against Exxon in 2017 in the US District Court for the Central District ...