Strike back: ExxonMobil files lawsuit against California AG

ExxonMobil, the Texas-based oil and gas company, filed a lawsuit on Jan 6 against California Attorney General Rob Bonta and several environmental groups, accusing them of defaming and disparaging the company’s advanced plastics recycling initiatives.

ExxonMobil sued California AG Rob Bonta and environmental groups for defaming its plastic recycling efforts.

Last year, Bonta, the Sierra Club, San Francisco Baykeeper, Heal the Bay and the Surfrider Foundation sued ExxonMobil for deceiving the public about the limitations of recycling, promising the plastics produced by ExxonMobil would be recycled.

Read more: ExxonMobil sued for plastics recycling deception

ExxonMobil’s advanced recycling technology uses heat to break down plastics that are difficult to recycle to a molecular level so they can be reused.

In its lawsuit, ExxonMobil said that Bonta and the US Proxies have engaged in a deliberate smear campaign against ExxonMobil, falsely claiming that ExxonMobil’s effective and innovative advanced recycling technology is a ‘false promise’ and ‘not based on truth’.

The company seeks unspecified damages and retractions of “defamatory statements” from Bonta and the groups.

In November, ExxonMobil said it was planning to spend US$200 million in Texas to expand its advanced recycling capabilities. The company has been selling off its California oil and gas properties and criticizing the state’s energy regulations.