ELR Citation: 55 ELR 20128
No(s). 24-cv-07288-RS (N.D. Cal. Sep 5, 2025) (Seeborg, J.)

A district court granted in part and denied in part a fossil fuel company's motion to dismiss a challenge to its production, distribution, and promotion of plastic polymers. Environmental groups argued, among other things, that the company created a public nuisance by producing the plastics, distributing them widely throughout the California economy, and promoting them for single use by suggesting that they were disposable when in fact they were not. The company moved to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction and failure to state a claim. The court found the groups plausibly averred that the company contributed to creation of a public nuisance in the form of single-use plastic pollution. It denied the company's motion as to the nuisance claim.