Two homeowners in Washington state who have seen sharp increases in their home insurance premiums in recent years have brought a new lawsuit against major oil and gas companies—the first of its kind aiming to hold Big Oil responsible for climate-related spikes in insurance costs.

The case , filed last week in U.S. District Court in the state’s Western District, alleges that deception and fraud on the part of oil industry defendants around the impacts of fossil fuels on climate has substantially contributed to the climate crisis, which in turn has resulted in a homeowners’ insurance crisis as rates soar and access in especially high-risk areas starts to decline.

In Washington state, for example, homeowners’ insurance rates have risen by 51 percent over the last six years.

For Richard Ken

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