A court hearing is scheduled for March 6 in San Francisco. California AG to pursue global warming lawsuit against top automakers ADVERTISING By TERENCE CHEA The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — California Attorney General Jerry Brown said Thursday he will
California AG to pursue global warming lawsuit against top automakers
By TERENCE CHEA
The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO — California Attorney General Jerry Brown said Thursday he will move ahead with a lawsuit that accuses the six largest American and Japanese automakers of damaging the environment by producing vehicles that contribute to global warming.
“We think we have a solid case, and we’re going to pursue it vigorously,” said Brown, who had expressed ambivalence about the suit when he campaigned for attorney general last year. “The ultimate objective is … to prevent the catastrophic consequences of this global warming problem.”
At the same time, Brown offered to meet with the automakers — Chrysler Motors Corp., General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor North America Inc., American Honda Motor Co. and Nissan North America Inc. — to discuss ways to resolve the lawsuit and address climate change.
Brown’s predecessor, Bill Lockyer, sued the auto companies in September in federal court in Northern California. The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, claims the automakers have harmed human health and the environment by making vehicles that emit greenhouse gases blamed for warming the planet.
In December, automakers sought to dismiss the suit, arguing the case didn’t belong in federal court, and that reductions in auto emissions should be achieved through regulation not litigation. Brown’s office filed its response Thursday.
“This filing today is a very thoughtful and detailed document in opposition that knocks down each of the arguments that the automobile companies are offering,” Brown said.
Ted Boutrous, Jr., an attorney representing the six automakers, said the defendants still believe the lawsuit has no merit.
“We believe our motion to dismiss is extremely strong, and this lawsuit is completely baseless,” he said. “The global warming debate implicates political and policy issues that need to be addressed at the national and international levels.”
A court hearing is scheduled for March 6 in San Francisco.
