A judge has dismissed Carrboro’s lawsuit against utility giant Duke Energy.
The lawsuit, first filed in December 2024, accused Duke Energy of engaging in a decades-long public deception campaign downplaying the risks of fossil fuels and climate change. The town argued this alleged campaign resulted in the American public delaying its transition away from fossil fuels, thus worsening climate change.
The town was seeking millions of dollars in relief for property damage allegedly caused by climate change, like cracked roads caused by extreme heat and increased precipitation. In a September 2025 hearing, the town brought forth charges of public and private nuisance, negligence and gross negligence, and trespassing.
In his ruling Thursday afternoon, Business Court Judge Mark Davis said Carrboro’s claims “are clearly nonjusticiable pursuant to the political question doctrine.”
