Jury Rules Exxon Must pay $150 Million For Spill

Jury Rules Exxon Must pay $150 Million For Spill

Date: 13-Mar-09
Country: US
Author: Matt Daily

Jury Rules Exxon Must pay $150 Million For Spill Photo: Jessica Rinaldi

A view of the Exxon Mobil refinery in Baytown, Texas in this file photo from September 15, 2008.
Photo: Jessica Rinaldi

NEW YORK - A jury in Baltimore County, Maryland on Thursday found oil company Exxon Mobil liable for a gasoline spill three years ago and ruled it must pay residents $150 million in damages.

But the jury found the company was not liable for punitive damages the case in which 26,000 gallons of gasoline leaked from a tank at a service station in Jacksonville, Maryland.

In a statement issued after the verdict, Exxon said it regretted the leak and it apologized to the community, but said it believed the $150 million award was too high and it would weigh its legal options.

"We find the amount awarded inconsistent with the verdict in which the jury rejected the punitive damages claims," the company said.

Plaintiffs in the case had asked for $2.5 billion in punitive damages, according to a report in the Baltimore Sun.