Appeals Court Judge Conflict Of Interest Reopens Exxon Case

On May 15th, a case the New Orleans-based Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had dismissed as “frivolous” in 2007 was reopened. A Pennsylvania man’s lawsuit had accused ExxonMobil and its chairman of maliciously and illegally raising oil and gas prices. A Center for Public Integrity investigation found that the wife of one of the ruling judges, Thomas Reavley, owned $100,000 worth of stock in the oil company at the time of the decision. The plaintiff said that he was “in disbelief” that the judge did not know that his wife – who was also a judge – owned the oil stock until seven years after the ruling. The Center identified the conflict while reporting its “Juris Imprudence” investigation, which found 26 other examples since 2010 where federal appellate judges ruled on cases in which they had a financial conflict. The Fifth Circuit clerk of court told the Center that Reavley’s involvement in the case was the result of a “staff error.”