“Judge quashes small town's climate change suit against Duke Energy”, 12 February 2026

Carrboro, North Carolina, a small town north of Raleigh, sued the company in December 2024, claiming it is causing and accelerating climate change.

The town said Duke is misleading the public over the causes and consequences of climate change…

The parties have only appeared in court once, in an hourslong hearing in which Carrboro fought against dismissal.

Business Court Judge Mark Davis called Carrboro’s legal theory “novel” in his 32-page opinion and order granting Duke’s request to dismiss the case.

“Here, a municipality seeks to hold a public utility company liable for damages resulting from extreme weather events allegedly caused by climate change based on allegations that (1) the company misled the American public for decades about the effects of fossil fuel consumption on the environment; and (2) as result, the public’s transition to alternative forms of energy was delayed.”

Carrboro’s claims don’t demonstrate distinct causation from a specific polluter to a specific victim, Davis said…

The town has standing, but fails to survive the motion to dismiss because the claims are nonjusticiable, he wrote; the state’s energy policy is not handled by the judiciary.

…Duke Energy attorney H. Hunter Bruton, criticizing Carrboro’s claim that it was trespassed by climate change and emphasizing that the town couldn’t prove injury.