Articles by Erik Larson

Judge Wants NRA to Name Insurance Witnesses in Claims Against New York

A judge ordered the National Rifle Association to provide the names Lloyd’s of London agents or employees who the gun rights group says have information backing its claim that New York’s insurance regulator bullied the company into severing ties with …

Exxon Argues Massachusetts Climate Fraud Lawsuit Punishes It for Opinion

Exxon Mobil Corp. told a judge that a fraud lawsuit filed by Massachusetts last year amounts to illegal punishment for the energy giant’s views about fossil fuels, the latest twist in their bitter clash over climate change. The suit by …

Exxon Argues Massachusetts AG’s Climate Lawsuit Amounts to Improper Retaliation

Exxon Mobil Corp. will argue that a consumer and investor fraud lawsuit filed by the Massachusetts attorney general amounts to improper retaliation against the company over its views on climate change. The company will seek to dismiss the suit under …

Businesses Fear Lawsuits from Sick Employees, Patrons After Reopening

Whenever U.S. stores, restaurants and theaters reopen from coronavirus shutdowns, they may face an unexpected problem: lawsuits from sick patrons and workers. Business owners hit hard by Covid-19 are eager to get back to work as the outbreak shows signs …

Life-or-Death Decisions by Hospitals, Doctors Come With Threat of Lawsuits

Doctors and hospitals overwhelmed in the pandemic will have to make their excruciating life-or-death decisions meticulously or they risk being second-guessed by a jury when the onslaught is over. Lawyers who defend health care providers are already giving advice on …

Exxon Loses Jurisdiction Fight in Massachusetts Climate Suit

Exxon Mobil Corp. suffered a setback in a climate change case when a federal judge ruled that a consumer protection lawsuit filed by Massachusetts should go back to state court. U.S. District Judge William G. Young in Boston on Tuesday …

Making Big Oil Pay for Climate Change May Be Impossible

Exxon Mobil dodged a bullet last month when a judge rejected a novel climate-change lawsuit brought by New York’s attorney general. The case began with a promise from state officials that there would be a historic reckoning for the fossil …

New York Won’t Appeal Its Defeat in Exxon Climate Trial

New York won’t appeal a ruling by a judge who rejected the state’s claim that Exxon Mobil Corp. misled investors for years about the oil giant’s internal planning for risks associated with climate change. New York Attorney General Letitia James, …

Sandy Hook Families Get Gunmaker Trial Nine Years After Attack

Family members of nine children and educators killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre have received a September 2021 trial date in their landmark lawsuit against Remington Arms Co. over its marketing of the semiautomatic military-style rifle the …

Exxon Beats New York Claim of Climate Change Accounting Fraud

Exxon Mobil Corp. won a closely watched securities-fraud trial that delved into its internal accounting for the financial risks of climate change, a striking rejection of New York state’s claim that the company misled investors for years. The ruling Tuesday …