Nate Raymond

BOSTON, (Reuters) –Massachusetts’ high court rejected Tuesday’s unanimous rejection Exxon Mobil Corp (NYSE: ) seeks to dismiss an action by the state’s Attorney General alleging that the oil company misled investors and consumers regarding climate change and dangers of fossil fuels.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court said Attorney General Maura Healey could pursue what Exxon called a politically-motivated case that it claimed violated a state law protecting defendants from lawsuits designed to silence them.

Justice Scott Kafker stated that the statute against strategic lawsuits against public participation was only applicable to private suits and not to government enforcement actions.

Kafker stated that applying the anti-SLAPP law in such cases could create significant roadblocks for the attorney general. The statute mandates lawsuits be largely held up until a judge decides whether or not to dismiss them.

Healey (a Democrat who is running for Governor) called it “a resounding win in our efforts to stop Exxon lying to consumers and investors in our state.”

Exxon, a Texas company based in Irving, stated that it is evaluating the next steps.

After a three year investigation, Healey sued Exxon for deceiving investors and misleading consumers regarding the effects of fossil fuel products on climate change.

The lawsuit is now more advanced than any other cases pending by local and state governments to hold companies accountable for climate change. Exxon has won a New York case alleging that it defrauded investors.

Exxon denies any wrongdoing, and Healey brought it up to court to get the punishment for its opposition on climate change.

This was the second appearance of Healey or Exxon before the top state court. Exxon attempted to avoid a “civil investigative demand”, which is similar to a subpoena. However, the court rejected her attempt to do so during Exxon’s probe.