Democratic Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is poised to sue major oil companies with the help of a law firm that has received millions of dollars from major left-wing organizations in recent years.

Nessel declared She announced her intention to file a “climate change” lawsuit against major oil companies in May, and her firm announced in late September that three law firms, including San Francisco-based Sher Edling LLP A support agreement was reached with the agency. two document Reviewed on the Daily Caller News Foundation show. Shar Edling is involved in similar lawsuit in a place like chicago and Washington DCand the company has received about $13 million in recent years from major left-wing organizations such as the New Venture Fund. According to According to a Congressional memo released Monday.

An anticipated lawsuit in Michigan will hold major energy companies liable for the climate change impacts their products allegedly cause, joining a number of others pursuing “climate nuisance” lawsuits. Jurisdictions have made similar claims. Details of the lawsuit, including which companies will be named as defendants, remain unclear because the state of Michigan has not yet filed suit.

Since 2017, Shah Edling has received $5.3 million from the Resource Legacy Fund, a center-left environmental grant group, to support efforts in climate change litigation, according to a congressional memo. The Tides Foundation, another major left-wing grantmaker, donated $235,000 to the company in 2022. (Related: Red states ask Supreme Court to prevent blue states from forcing climate change policies on other countries)

During the same period, Sher Edling raised $8.4 million from the New Venture Fund, a left-wing grantmaking organization and part of the Arabella Advisors nonprofit network. Arabella Advisors is a for-profit company founded by Clinton administration alumnus Eric Kessler, and nonprofits in the consultancy’s network will raise $1 billion in 2022 to advance progressive causes across America. Spent close by.

The other two companies named in the contract are: DiCello Levitt and house feltalso not headquartered in Michigan. house felt tout The company itself was an early adopter of third-party funding for litigation. The company did not respond to email questions asking whether it plans to receive outside funding to help tackle the anticipated Michigan lawsuit.

The contract stipulates that the three law firms will only benefit if the state is able to recover funds from the defendants who brought the lawsuit. Specifically, the companies will receive 10% of the first $150 million recovered, and 2.5% of anything above that threshold if recovery is obtained prior to discovery, according to a signed document outlining the contingency fee structure. % will be received.

According to the contingency fee agreement, if the companies are able to help the state recover funds from the defendants after discovery begins, they will take home 16.67% of the first $150 million recovered and 7.5% of every dollar beyond that. It turns out.

It is unclear how much damages Mr. Nessel will seek from the defendants if he files a lawsuit as expected. Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is moving forward with his “climate change” lawsuit against major energy companies. Shar Edling’s Help — suggested in 2020 that it was seeking a settlement similar to the $8 billion agreement the state struck with tobacco companies in the 1990s. According to To the Associated Press. (Related: Trial lawyers handling urban global warming lawsuits could earn billions)

Rhode Island officials admit state’s climate lawsuit is aimed at extracting money from Big Oil: court documents https://t.co/ZuG4u3GMi4

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 14, 2020

Michigan’s Senate Republican caucus denounced Nessel’s plan shortly after he announced plans to sue major energy companies in May.

“A blatant political lawsuit like this sets a dangerous precedent, as it seeks to cripple an industry vital to the state’s economy and well-being,” the lawmakers said in a written statement. letter To Nessel. “The legal system should not be used as a tool to advance a political agenda or target political opponents. This abuse of power undermines public trust in our institutions. I threaten you.”

Notably, Nessel said in May that his office would not rule out including utility companies and other industries in climate change litigation. According to Go to Detroit News. The same legal logic underlying suing energy companies over their role in and response to climate change justifies lawsuits against the auto industry, which is key to Michigan’s economy, said O.H. Skinner, executive director of the alliance. However, there is no need to expand it that much. For consumers.

“The same type of officials who are going after meat processing companies because their cows contribute to climate change are going after all the companies that emit significant amounts of carbon dioxide emissions, not just oil producers. It’s going to come after people. In the eyes of the left and its progressive allies, there’s no way the auto industry can somehow avoid that fate,” Skinner told DCNF. “If oil producers are to blame, so are the power companies that built power generation facilities that can only run on fossil fuels. The logic then tracks down to automakers in exactly the same way.”

If Mr. Nessel files his lawsuit as announced, Michigan will join more than 20 other states and localities that have already filed climate change lawsuits. In a Honolulu lawsuit against energy companies, several current and former government officials, military veterans and legal scholars filed briefs asking the Supreme Court for potential economic, national security and federalism implications. He requested that the lawsuit be taken up.

“Energy control has long been a critical national security concern that underpins not only economic independence and stability but also America’s diplomatic and military capabilities,” said John Yu, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and legal scholar Richard Epstein. “We have set goals,” he said. Researchers from New York University wrote in their paper: easy. “If this court allows these tort actions to proceed, states and local governments could handicap an interstate industry vital to the nation’s economy and security.”

Nessel’s office, Sher Edling, Hausfeldt and DiCello-Levitt did not respond to requests for comment.

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