Today we helped to file an official complaint with the Massachusetts Attorney General regarding Boston College’s investments in fossil fuels. The complaint argues that the university’s investment practices — like those of other colleges and non-profit institutions — violate laws regarding the management of charitable funds. Since 2014, when we filed the first-ever fossil fuel divestment lawsuit as law students, we’ve been pushing to make universities accountable to their communities. The Boston College complaint — signed by Boston City Councillor Michelle Wu, climate scientist James Hansen, organizations like 350 Mass and the Massachusetts Sierra Club, and Boston College alumni — asks the Attorney General to investigate the harms done by fossil fuel investments and to order the university’s governing board to cease promoting harms to at-risk communities, public health, and the planet.
Read the press release here.
CDP is actively working on legal strategies for the fossil fuel divestment movement. Please contact us if you’re involved in a divestment campaign and need legal advice.
