Multnomah County seeks billions in damages from fossil fuel companies over deadly 2021 heat wave.

Multnomah County has filed a lawsuit against 17 oil companies, including Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron, and BP, seeking $50 million in actual damages and $1.5 billion in future damages, as well as an abatement fund of $50 billion. The County alleges that the cumulative historical carbon pollution from the usage of Defendants’ fossil fuel products was a significant contributing element in producing and intensifying the heat dome that caused 69 fatalities in 2021. The oil companies have responded by stating that these lawsuits are counterproductive distractions from advancing international policy solutions.