Seattle Family Files Climate Change Wrongful Death Suit Against Oil Giants

First-of-its-Kind Case Links Heatwave Fatality to Fossil Fuel Emissions

SEATTLE — A Washington state family is suing several of the world’s largest oil companies, alleging their role in driving climate change led to the death of a Seattle woman during the Pacific Northwest’s historic 2021 heatwave.

The wrongful death lawsuit, filed May 28 in King County Superior Court, names ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, and Shell as defendants. The family of Julie Leon, who died of hyperthermia on June 28, 2021, claims that the extreme heat that killed her was fueled in part by emissions from fossil fuels and decades of industry deception about the dangers of climate change.

Leon died on what remains the hottest day in Seattle’s recorded history, with temperatures reaching 108 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the complaint, she was driving through the city with her windows down when she was overcome by the heat. After pulling over onto a residential street, she lost consciousness. A passerby found her two hours later. Despite efforts by first responders, she could not be revived.

A New Legal Frontier

The case may be the first of its kind in the U.S. to seek damages for a climate-related death. It marks an escalation in legal efforts to hold fossil fuel companies financially accountable for the impacts of global warming.

The lawsuit alleges that the oil companies “conspired to discredit the burgeoning scientific consensus on the existence and cause of climate change,” and misled the public about the risks of burning fossil fuels. It claims their actions delayed the transition to cleaner energy and contributed directly to extreme weather events like the 2021 heatwave.

While other lawsuits have attempted to link the fossil fuel industry to climate disasters, Leon’s case stands out because it seeks to tie a single fatality to corporate conduct.

Criticism and Legal Hurdles

Critics of the lawsuit say it is unlikely to succeed in court.

Cliff Mass, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington, said global warming may have added only a small amount—between one and two degrees—to the heatwave’s record-breaking temperatures. He described the event as the result of several rare weather conditions converging at once.

Mass also noted that long-term trends are more reliable indicators of climate change than individual weather events.

Donald Kochan, a law professor at George Mason University, echoed doubts about the suit’s legal viability. He pointed out that the causation standard in wrongful death cases is high and said the plaintiffs would likely be unable to prove that fossil fuel emissions were the sole or direct cause of Leon’s death.

“We can prove that but for your actions, this person would not be dead … and they can't meet that here,” Kochan said.

Still, Kochan acknowledged the broader strategic purpose of such lawsuits. He described them as part of a public pressure campaign and said some companies may choose to settle rather than face years of negative publicity. But he argued that it might be worth fighting this case in court to prevent a wave of similar lawsuits.

National Attention

The lawsuit comes amid increasing scrutiny of the fossil fuel industry. At a recent U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing, David Arkush, director of the Public Citizen’s Climate Program, said oil and gas companies should be prosecuted for homicide in connection with climate change. Sen. Ted Cruz dismissed the idea as a “moonbeam wacky theory.”

While courts have not yet allowed any climate-related lawsuit against major oil companies to proceed to trial, the Leon family’s case may test the boundaries of legal accountability for the human toll of a warming planet.

The family is seeking unspecified monetary damages.