Settlement in Rhode Island MTBE Suit

Pierce Atwood, along with Eimer Stahl LLP, represented Citgo Petroleum Corp. as one of the defendants in State of Rhode Island v. Atlantic Richfield Co. et al., case number 1:17-cv-00204, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island. In April 2022, Citgo, Shell Oil Co. and Sunoco Inc., agreed to pay a combined $15 million settlement to resolve Rhode Island's claims against the companies, without admitting to the state's allegations.

Rhode Island filed the lawsuit in 2016, alleging that several refiners caused pollution of Rhode Island’s soil and groundwater with the gasoline additive methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE).

The settlement funds will be dedicated to ongoing MTBE contamination remediation efforts by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.