AL Supreme Court Lets Exxon off the Hook
Yesterday, the Alabama Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that Exxon had committed fraud in a dispute with the state over natural gas contracts. In 2003, a Montgomery County jury awarded the state $102.8 million in additional royalties and interest, and slapped Exxon with $11.8 billion in punitive damages based on its determination that the company had defrauded the state. The judge in the case reduced the punitive damages to $3.5 billion.
Now, four years later, the Supreme Court says, “Nope. No fraud.” It also reduced the award for additional royalties to $51.8 million plus interest.
I remember hearing speculation last year that the then-all-Republican Supreme Court was delaying its review of this case because a ruling in Exxon’s favor might damage Drayton Nabers’ chance to be elected Chief Justice*. That may be, but down in the sixth paragraph I found this little tidbit:
…the court’s opinion, written by Associate Justice Tom Parker.
They let Tom Parker write the opinion? Geez, no wonder it took so long.
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* If this is true, it didn’t make any difference; Democrat Sue Bell Cobb won the election. She was the lone dissenting vote in the Exxon decision.