Description: Action by a commercial fishing industry trade group to hold fossil fuel companies liable for adverse climate change impacts to the ocean off the coasts of California and Oregonthat resulted in "prolonged closures" of Dungeness crab fisheries.
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Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations v. Chevron Corp.
Case Documents:
Filing Date Type File Action Taken Summary 11/30/2020 Notice Clerk's notice issued continuing case management conference. The court continued the case management conference scheduled for December 16 to June 9, 2021. The parties jointly requested that the conference be postponed until proceedings in the Supreme Court in City of Oakland v. BP p.l.c. and County of San Mateo v. Chevron Corp. have concluded. (The defendants have not yet filed their petitions for writ of certiorari in those cases.) 11/25/2020 Response Download Parties filed joint response to court's notice and request to vacate case management conference. 08/22/2020 Notice Download Clerk's notice issued rescheduling case management conference. After the Ninth Circuit’s decisions on jurisdictional issues in the County of San Mateo and City of Oakland cases, the court initially scheduled a case management conference for August 26, 2020 but rescheduled the conference for December 16, 2020 after the parties submitted a joint request to vacate the case management conference given the defendants’ intent to file petitions for writ of certiorari seeking review of the Ninth Circuit’s decisions. 08/19/2020 Response Download Parties filed joint response to court's notice and request to vacate case management conference. 08/10/2020 Notice Download Clerk's notice issued scheduling case management conference. 01/02/2019 Stipulation Download Joint stipulation to stay proceedings filed. The court signed a joint stipulation staying the proceedings pending final resolution of the appeals in City of Oakland v. BP p.l.c. and County of San Mateo v. Chevron Corp. 12/24/2018 Order Download Order issued reassigning case to Honorable Vince Chhabria. 12/21/2018 Order Download Order of recusal issued Judge William H. Orrick. 12/18/2018 Order Download Motion to relate case to City of Oakland v. BP p.l.c. denied. 12/12/2018 Notice Download Notice of removal filed by defendants Chevron Corporation and Chevron U.S.A., Inc. -
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Inc. v. Chevron Corp.
Case Documents:
Filing Date Type File Action Taken Summary 11/14/2018 Complaint Download Complaint filed. Fishing Trade Group Sued Fossil Fuel Companies for Climate Change Damage. A commercial fishing industry trade group filed a lawsuit in California Superior Court seeking to hold fossil fuel companies liable for adverse climate change impacts to the ocean off the coasts of California and Oregon that resulted in “prolonged closures” of Dungeness crab fisheries. The plaintiff alleged that the companies had known for decades that use of their products could be “catastrophic” and that “only a narrow window existed” for action before consequences would be irreversible. The plaintiff asserted the companies took actions to obscure the harms and avoid regulation, while still acknowledging and planning for climate change’s consequences internally. The plaintiff contended that the companies’ actions prevented the development of alternatives that could have eased the transition to a less fossil fuel-dependent economy. The complaint contains five causes of action: nuisance, strict liability for failure to warn, strict liability for design defect, negligence, and negligent failure to warn. The plaintiff seeks compensatory damages, equitable relief including abatement of the nuisance, punitive damages, disgorgement of profits, and attorneys’ fees and costs.