California sues ExxonMobil for alleged decades of deception around plastic recycling, in first-of-its-kind lawsuit [Video]

California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against ExxonMobil on Monday for what the state calls a “decades-long campaign of deception” in which the oil and gas giant allegedly misled the public on the merits of plastic recycling.The complaint accuses the company of using slick marketing and misleading public statements for half a century to claim recycling was an effective way in dealing with plastic pollution, a press release from Bonta’s office published Monday said. It alleges the company continues to perpetuate the “myth” of recycling today.CNN has reached out to ExxonMobil for comment and response to the lawsuit.The case, filed to the San Francisco County Superior Court, seeks to compel ExxonMobil “to end its deceptive practices that threaten the environment and the public,” the statement said.Bonta is also asking the court to rule ExxonMobil must pay civil penalties, among other payments, for the harm inflicted by plastic pollution …