Court Upholds $236 Million Verdict in Exxon Mobil Pollution Case
New Hampshire’s Supreme Court upheld a record $236 million judgment Oct. 2 against Exxon Mobil for its use of a gasoline additive that contaminated groundwater in the state, the Associated Press reports.
The original verdict came after a four-month trial in April 2013 when a jury found Exxon Mobil liable for contamination by the chemical MTBE.
A company spokesman said an appeal is under consideration.
“MTBE contamination has been found in New Hampshire because someone spilled gasoline in New Hampshire, not because it was added to gasoline in a refinery in another state,” spokesman Todd Spitler said. “The state should have sued the parties responsible for spilling gasoline, not the refiners who were compelled by law to add oxygenates to gasoline.”
