A U.S. federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit by the state of California against General Motors, Ford , Honda , Chrysler , Toyota , and Nissan . Announced one year ago, the lawsuit sought millions of dollars in damages for the “public nuisance” created by vehicles that contribute to global warming.
When he announced the suit on September 20th, 2006, Attorney General Bill Lockyer stated it was time to “hold these companies responsible for their contribution to this crisis.”
Apparently, District Judge Martin Jenkins in San Francisco did not agree. He told the Associated Press it was impossible to determine the extent of the damages done by automakers with regards to climate change in California.
What’s more, Jenkins said it’s up to legislators to create rules for automakers’ environmental conduct, rather than judges to assign price tags to damage done.
Dismissal predictable
While many observers were concerned the state’s legal powerhouse might succeed with this arguably frivolous lawsuit, the auto industry was confident it would come out on top.
The day after the lawsuit was announced, John Merchant, chairman of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers used Jenkins’ own words against him, calling the action a “public nuisance.” He said “activist attorneys general who abuse our legal system and impose a system of ‘government by lawsuit’ to gain publicity and further their own political agenda.”
U.S. automakers first attempted to have the suit dismissed a week after it was filed, but a judge permitted it to continue at that point.
However, at the Paris Motor Show in 2006, GM CEO Rick Wagoner expressed his confidence that “inappropriate action” would be thrown out.
The California government has not indicated if it intends to pursue the matter any further.
