Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is again relying on a national network to boost his climate lawsuit by recruiting the plaintiffs’ law firm Sher Edling, one of the key players in the climate litigation campaign, to help represent the state alongside his office. When Ellison filed the lawsuit this summer, there was a noticeable lack of outside counsel present.
A Minnesota activist group completely blew the cover of the entire climate litigation campaign by acknowledging how closely private individuals and organizations have coordinated with state attorneys general to promote lawsuits against fossil fuel companies. For years, these activists have operated mostly in the shadows, attempting to shield their conversations and connections with government officials
On Wednesday, Minnesota became the latest state to file a climate lawsuit against the energy industry. This marks the first lawsuit of this kind to be filed after the failure of the New York Attorney General’s case against ExxonMobil last fall. At a press conference, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced that his office was filing a civil consumer protection lawsuit against ExxonMobil, the American Petroleum Institute (API), and Koch Industries, as well as