ELR Citation: 52 ELR 20114
No(s). SAG-21-00772 and SAG-21-01323 (D. Md. Sep 29, 2022) (Gallagher, J.)

A district court remanded back to state court two climate liability suits brought against oil companies. A city and county in Maryland had sued the companies in state court, alleging they concealed climate-related harms caused by fossil fuels. The companies removed the suits to federal court based on federal officer removal and Grable doctrine grounds, and plaintiffs moved to remand. The court found that the companies offered no evidence that the alleged concealment of harms was for or related to federally authorized actions, and that none of plaintiffs' claims—nuisance, failure to warn, and trespass—necessarily raised First Amendment concerns on their face. It granted plaintiffs' motion to remand and denied the companies' motion to stay.