Supreme Court justices on Monday rejected Exxon Mobil Corp.’s appeal of a Massachusetts court decision that the company must hand over documents to the state’s attorney general related to an investigation of its plans to withhold climate change data from investors.
The high court’s decision is the latest setback to the company’s push against Democratic attorneys general investigating allegations that the oil company sought to undermine its own scientists’ research concluding that climate change would hurt its future business.
The court’s decision upholds Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey’s legal push for the company to hand over records that go as far back as the 1970s, which she hopes will reveal that the company sought to cover up the findings, which, if released, could have dissuaded investors.
[Also read: Ruth Bader Ginsburg misses Supreme Court oral arguments for first time in 25 years]
Healey’s investigation preceded a lawsuit filed by New York in October that the company was engaging in a systematic scheme to deceive investors about the impact of future climate change regulations on its business.
Exxon Mobil had adamantly rejected the allegations, the basis of which stemmed from news reports.
Both Massachusetts and New York launched their investigations of Exxon Mobil in 2015.
[Also read: SEC ends its climate change probe of Exxon Mobil]
