Ted Cruz (R-TX) and James Comer (R-KY) began a formal investigation into the firm of Sher Edling, Vic Sher and Matt Edling, for their cases against North American energy companies. The senator and congressman made their intentions official in a joint letter broadcast by Fox News, in which they both stated that "left-wing funds are footing the bill for Edling's climate crusade."
The ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee joined the chairman of the House Oversight Committee in expressing concern about the lawsuits.
"While people may use their resources to bring whatever cases they want — even those that may be so frivolous as to be sanctionable — it appears that left-wing funds are footing the bill for Sher Edling’s climate crusade. Radical activists are backing these lawsuits, too," they began.
"Sher Edling purports to be taking a righteous gamble that this ludicrous argument will pan out. The firm shopped these lawsuits to jurisdictions around the country. And to convince them to sign up for what is likely to be very costly litigation, Sher Edling agreed to provide its legal service at no cost unless it obtained a 'settlement against the industry,'" they continued in the letter.
I’m proud to team up with @RepJamesComer to lead an investigation into the Hollywood elite-funded lawsuits targeting American energy companies.https://t.co/6PGlXISr3l
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) September 25, 2023
Since founding the law firm in 2016, they have handled climate-related litigation in states including Delaware, Minnesota, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Washington, Maryland, and Hawaii. Mostly, they allege that major oil companies, such as Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell, have been misleading the public about climate change.
According to its own website, the industry has known for decades that burning fossil fuels would cause global warming, holding it directly responsible for all its consequences.
What does all this have to do with Leonardo DiCaprio?
As reported by Fox News based on tax returns, between 2017 and 2020, the secretive Collective Action Fund for Accountability, Resilience and Adaptation (CAF) transferred more than $5.2 million to Sher Edling. Additionally, in 2021 alone, the CAF injected $3 million.
Again, according to Fox News Digital, nonprofit organizations such as The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, the Emmett Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the JPB Foundation, have funded the work of the CAF.
Indeed, the famous actor's foundation has been identified as one of the most committed to sending funds. "Some left-wing groups funnel millions to law firms to sue companies across the country on questionable legal grounds. They are trying to use the courts to put these companies out of business or limit their ability to bring new products to market" Comer said during an Oversight Committee hearing, which addressed third-party litigation financing.
