Oil Companies Lose Appeal in Maryland Climate Deception Lawsuit

BP PLC, Exxon Mobil Corp., and a string of other oil and gas companies won’t be able to move an Anne Arundel County, Md., climate lawsuit to a federal bench, according to an appellate decision handed down on Monday.

A panel at the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit said that the oil majors’ attempts to prove the case raises issues for federal jurisdiction don’t hold water—similar to the many attempts made in similar cases around the country.

“The appellants in these cases display a real commitment to the maxim, ‘If at first you don’t succeed, ...