A Washington state woman has filed a wrongful death suit against a group of major fossil fuel corporations—including ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Shell, and state-based Olympic Pipeline Company—alleging that their contributions to global warming led directly to her mother’s death during the 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome.
Filed in King County Superior Court under Leon v. ExxonMobil Corp. et al., the case marks the first known effort to hold oil and gas companies legally responsible for a specific climate-related fatality. Plaintiff Misti Leon brought the lawsuit on behalf of her late mother, Juliana Leon, arguing that the defendants’ longstanding campaign casting doubt on climate science made the deadly heatwave foreseeable.
According to the complaint, on July 28, 2021, Seattle experienced its third consecutive day above 100°F. En route from Ferndale to a follow-up doctor’s appointment—just two weeks after bariatric surgery—Juliana Leon became overwhelmed by the extreme heat. With no functioning air conditioning and open windows, Leon reportedly pulled off the highway but lost consciousness in her vehicle. It was nearly two hours before a Good Samaritan discovered her unresponsive in her car.
The lawsuit contends these companies have known since at least the 1950s that burning fossil fuels would cause significant warming, yet deliberately sowed doubt to protect profits. Claims include negligence, failure to warn, design defect, wrongful death, and public nuisance. By including Olympic Pipeline Company—based in-state—the plaintiff ensures the case remains in Washington courts.
While climate-related legal actions have surged in recent years, this suit is notable for seeking corporate accountability for a single individual’s death, rather than broader environmental damage. Some critics argue this legal strategy unfairly targets fossil fuel companies for deaths resulting from heat waves—conditions arguably driven by weather rather than product use.
In response, Chevron’s attorney Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. criticized the lawsuit as politically motivated and lacking legal foundation, urging the court to dismiss what he called “far‑fetched claim[s].”
