California sues oil giants for downplaying risks posed by fossil fuels

Sept 16 (Reuters) - The state of California has sued major oil companies including Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N), Shell PLC (SHEL.L), and Chevron Corp (CVX.N), accusing them of playing down the risks posed by fossil fuels, according to a court filing on Friday.

The lawsuit, which also targets BP (BP.L) and ConocoPhillips (COP.N), alleges the energy giants' actions have caused tens of billions of dollars in damages and accuses them of deceiving the public, the filing in a superior court in San Francisco showed.

The American Petroleum Institute, an industry trade group, has also been listed as a defendant in the case, according to the filing.