SAN FRANCISCO (AP) 鈥 Exxon Mobil Corp. filed a federal defamation lawsuit against California Attorney General Rob Bonta and several environmental groups, months after Bonta sued the oil and gas giant alleging that it deceived the public for half a century by promising the plastics it produced would be recycled.
The Texas-based company said in its lawsuit, filed Monday in that state's Eastern District, that Bonta, the Sierra Club, San Francisco Baykeeper, Heal the Bay and the Surfrider Foundation conspired to defame it with statements regarding the efficacy of its plastic recycling technology.
鈥淭ogether, Bonta and the US Proxies 鈥 the former for political gain and the latter pawns for the Foreign Interests 鈥 have engaged in a deliberate smear campaign against ExxonMobil, falsely claiming that ExxonMobil鈥檚 effective and innovative advanced recycling technology is a 鈥榝alse promise鈥 and 鈥榥ot based on truth,鈥欌 the company said in its lawsuit.
It seeks unspecified damages and retractions of 鈥渄efamatory statements鈥 from Bonta and the groups.
A spokesperson for the California Department of Justice called the lawsuit 鈥渁nother attempt from ExxonMobil to deflect attention from its own unlawful deception鈥 and said Bonta looks forward to 鈥渧igorously litigating鈥 the case.
In its lawsuit , Bonta's office said that less than 5% of plastic is recycled into another plastic product in the U.S. even though the items are labeled as 鈥渞ecyclable.鈥
As a result landfills and oceans are filled with plastic waste, creating , while consumers diligently place plastic water bottles and other containers into recycling bins, the lawsuit alleges.
