Climate & Greenwashing Litigation
German automaker climate cases show limits as well as momentum
Gibson Dunn’s March ESG update reports that Germany’s Federal Court of Justice rejected climate cases against Mercedes-Benz and BMW seeking to prohibit internal-combustion sales after October 2030.
BY ESG DESK · MAY 1, 2026 · 1 MIN READ
Gibson Dunn’s March ESG update reports that Germany’s Federal Court of Justice rejected climate cases against Mercedes-Benz and BMW seeking to prohibit internal-combustion sales after October 2030. For legal advisers, the decision is a reminder that climate litigation risk is real but jurisdiction-specific, and that civil-law theories against private actors can face important limits. Inside Practice can use this to frame climate litigation as a strategic risk map rather than a one-direction narrative of plaintiff success.