F. Gerald Maples, P.A. sued energy and chemical companies on behalf of local residents of Coastal Mississippi for Hurricane Katrina related damages. The suit, Comer v. Murphy Oil USA, Inc., et al., alleges that the defendants knowingly and  meaningfully contributed to global warming through promoting and profiting from greenhouse gas emissions, and thereby increased the intensity and magnitude of Hurricane Katrina.  These same Defendants also increased local insurance premiums, because insurance companies consider global warming (which causes sea level rise as well as more frequent and intense hurricane activity) when assessing the risk of wind and flood damage to coastal properties.  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that the plaintiffs’ lawsuit may proceed, despite the defendants’ argument that it should be dismissed for lack of standing and under the political question doctrine:

Links to the Fifth Circuit’s decision, the lawsuit and its attachments:

• Fifth Circuit Decision
• Plaintiffs' 4th Amended Complaint
• Exhibits 1-3
• Exhibits 4-8
• Exhibits 9-11
• Exhibits 12-15
• Exhibits 16-18

Comer v. Murphy Oil USA, Inc., et al has been covered by several publications, including:

• BusinessWeek: Global warming: Here come the lawyers
• Financial Times: Lawyers aim to pin blame for Katrina on big business