There’s a growing trend in America’s courtrooms: lawsuits that sound more like politics than justice. The latest? A wrongful death lawsuit filed in Washington state that claims major oil companies are responsible for a woman’s death during a 2021 heat wave.
Let that sink in. Someone died tragically in extreme heat, and instead of blaming broken infrastructure, poor preparation, or bad luck, the lawsuit targets seven of the world’s largest energy companies for altering the climate.
When do we get to sue back?
When a lawsuit stretches reason, burdens the courts, costs millions in legal fees, and has no chance of holding up, why shouldn’t the person who filed it be responsible for the damage they cause? We need to talk about accountability for everyone, not just corporations.
The case, filed in Washington state, argues that fossil fuel companies like Exxon, Shell, BP, and others contributed to a heat wave that led to the death of 65-year-old Juliana Leon. Her daughter claims the companies knew their products were warming the planet and failed to warn people. That climate change, she argues, created the conditions that caused her mother’s fatal hyperthermia.
But here’s the obvious flaw: fossil fuels are not just burned in refineries. They are used in nearly every part of daily life.
So let’s ask — did the plaintiff or her mother drive a gas-powered car? Ever wear shoes? Or clothes made with synthetic fabrics? Use nail polish? Paint? Ride a bus? Visit a hospital, walk on paved roads, or live in a home with electricity? All of these things involve petroleum. Fossil fuels are the backbone of modern society, whether we like it or not. If using these products makes companies liable, then who isn’t contributing?
It’s easy to mock these lawsuits, but they come at a real cost. Legal defense for companies that employ tens of thousands of people doesn’t come cheap. Court time gets eaten up. Judges are forced to deal with political theater instead of real justice. And if a lawsuit like this fails — as many have — there’s no cost to the person who filed it. The losing side can walk away, while everyone else eats the bill. That’s not how a fair legal system should work.
If you bring a lawsuit and lose — especially one that’s speculative, sweeping, or ideological — you should pay for it. The idea is simple. If a case is judged to be frivolous, or if a plaintiff can’t prove real, direct harm, then they should be responsible for legal costs for the defendant, court fees, and even potential damages for reputational harm or business loss. This would discourage “sue first, ask questions later” legal tactics, especially in high-profile climate and political cases where the intent is more about headlines than results.
The climate is changing. That’s real. But lawsuits blaming specific deaths on specific companies for global atmospheric shifts stretch logic beyond the breaking point. If fossil fuel companies committed fraud or broke the law — fine, take them to court. But pinning one woman’s tragic death on ExxonMobil while ignoring the global complexity of energy use and personal responsibility isn’t justice. It’s just ideology in legal robes.
The lawsuit is moving forward. The companies are expected to fight it, as they should. But whether they win or lose, the real concern is what this means for the future of the legal system. We can’t let the courtroom become a place where logic is optional and costs are only paid by one side. If we don’t draw the line now, we’ll see more lawsuits like this. And every time, the price will be passed down to businesses, taxpayers, workers, and consumers.
Maybe it’s time we start asking the other question: When do we get to sue them for wasting our time?
