Discovery Needed to Determine Timeliness of ExxonMobil Oil Spill Action, N.Y. Judge Rules

NEW YORK — A New York federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed against ExxonMobil Oil Corp. in connection with a Brooklyn, N.Y., oil spill that was first discovered in the 1970s, ruling that further discovery is needed to determine whether the claims are time-barred.

In a Sept. 30 order, Judge Rachel P. Kovner of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York ruled that materials submitted by ExxonMobil that allegedly establish the existence of “an extensive campaign to ensure all residents in the Greenpoint area remained well informed” of the spill do not establish …