Supreme Court to Hear Exxon Appeal
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear part of ExxonMobil Corp.'s appeal of a $1.3 billion judgment against the company for overcharging service-station dealers, according to several news reports.
The decision Tuesday stems from a 2001 trial, in which a federal jury in Miami decided Exxon broke its promise to give gas station owners discounts that it promised in exchange for imposing a new fee on credit card purchases.
The suit was brought on behalf of 10,000 gas station owners in 34 states and Washington, D.C. In June 2003, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the verdict in favor of the station dealers. The court upheld the judgment in March.
According to a statement Tuesday from the plaintiffs' attorneys, the Supreme Court will only review whether the trial court had jurisdiction over individual claims worth less than $50,000 at the time the case was filed in 1991.
ExxonMobil did not immediately return calls for comment Wednesday.
The decision Tuesday stems from a 2001 trial, in which a federal jury in Miami decided Exxon broke its promise to give gas station owners discounts that it promised in exchange for imposing a new fee on credit card purchases.
The suit was brought on behalf of 10,000 gas station owners in 34 states and Washington, D.C. In June 2003, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the verdict in favor of the station dealers. The court upheld the judgment in March.
According to a statement Tuesday from the plaintiffs' attorneys, the Supreme Court will only review whether the trial court had jurisdiction over individual claims worth less than $50,000 at the time the case was filed in 1991.
ExxonMobil did not immediately return calls for comment Wednesday.