Big Oil Seeks to Sidestep Two NJ Trials That Could Hit Companies With Hefty Fines

America’s corporate oil giants are doing everything they can to avoid a pair of New Jersey trials — both of which could end with hefty financial penalties if prosecutors prevail.

The two cases, one filed by the city of Hoboken in 2020 the other filed by the state of New Jersey in 2022, allege that major oil companies and the industry trade group that lobbies on their behalf violated state consumer fraud protections by obscuring from the public the relationship between burning fossil fuels and climate change, while pushing policies that boosted oil consumption over the adoption of alternative energy sources.