Climate liability cases and the argument for free speech

The podcast discusses climate liability cases brought against fossil fuel companies by various municipalities and states, focusing on the recent cases in Honolulu and Massachusetts. These cases allege that the companies' misleading statements about climate change caused greater climate impacts and increased costs for dealing with those impacts. The defense argument presented by corporate attorneys in these cases revolves around the protection of free speech and petitioning activity under the First Amendment. They claim that the companies' speech was aimed at shaping regulation and therefore protected. However, opposing arguments highlight that free speech does not protect fraud or deception, and that the liability cases aim to hold the companies accountable for their misleading actions.