New York Attorney General Investigation of ExxonMobil

On November 5, 2015, Exxon Mobil Corporation (Exxon) confirmed that it had received a subpoena from the New York State Attorney General’s Office related to the company’s statements to investors and its board of directors regarding climate change risks and their consistency with the company’s internal research. The subpoena reportedly seeks extensive financial records, emails, and other documents covering a 40-year period as part of an investigation that began a year earlier. The investigation is being conducted under the State’s Martin Act, which forbids financial fraud and gives the State broad investigative powers. The investigation is also reported to be looking into whether Exxon violated state consumer protection laws. The subpoena itself is not publicly available, but reports on the subpoena are available in the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/06/science/exxon-mobil-under-investigation-in-new-york-over-climate-statements.html">New York Times</a>, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-05/exxon-mobil-said-to-be-probed-by-n-y-over-climate-change">Bloomberg Business</a>, and <a href="http://insideclimatenews.org/news/05112015/new-york-attorney-general-eric-schneidermansubpoena-">InsideClimate News</a>. [Update: The subpoena subsequently became public when Exxon included it in filings made in the federal district court for the Northern District of Texas.]