Attorney General Tong Statement on Complete Victory Over ExxonMobil Motion to Strike

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11/26/2025

Attorney General Tong Statement on Complete Victory Over ExxonMobil Motion to Strike

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong released the following statement after Connecticut Superior Court Judge John B. Farley issued a decision fully denying ExxonMobil’s motion to strike Connecticut’s case against the company for decades of deceit regarding climate change.

Attorney General Tong sued ExxonMobil in September 2020 under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, alleging an ongoing, systematic campaign of lies and deception to hide from the public what ExxonMobil has known for decades—that burning fossil fuels undeniably contributes to climate change. Connecticut is seeking to stop ExxonMobil’s lies and to hold ExxonMobil accountable for these unfair and deceptive practices.

ExxonMobil first sought to remove the case to federal court. They lost that effort in federal district court, and also before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. ExxonMobil did not seek cert to the U.S. Supreme Court. Next, ExxonMobil filed a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction in state court. That motion was denied. Most recently, ExxonMobil filed a motion to strike in state court, seeking to test and invalidate Connecticut’s legal claims by arguing the state’s case was precluded by federal law, legally insufficient under CUTPA and barred by the First Amendment, among other grounds. Today, Judge Farley issued a well-reasoned decision denying in full every one of those assertions.

“ExxonMobil is throwing the kitchen sink at us, trying every angle to invalidate our case. Once again, they have failed on every count. Our case is simple and strong—ExxonMobil amassed billions of dollars in profits off a decades-long campaign of lies, and they must be held accountable. We are in the midst of discovery and are aggressively prosecuting this case in Connecticut to uncover and expose ExxonMobil’s lies and to hold the company accountable for the harm their deception has caused,” said Attorney General Tong.

Twitter: @AGWilliamTong

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Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov

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