(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The city of Chicago is taking some major players in the petroleum industry to court, claiming deception about climate change.
The Johnson Administration has filed suit against six oil and gas companies and their trade group, the American Petroleum Institute. The complaint alleges that Big Oil intentionally misled Chicagoans about the climate change-related impact of their products.
Chicago Corporation Counsel Mary B. Richardson-Lowry said the city sued the companies to ensure that defendants who profited from the deception campaign bear responsibility for their misconduct.
“There is no justice without accountability,” Mayor Johnson said in a news release. “From the unprecedented poor air quality that we experienced last summer to the basement floodings that our residents on the West Side experienced, the consequences of this crisis are severe, as are the costs of surviving them.”
The suit seeks compensatory damages, penalties and fines.
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