Exxon Additive Fouled New York Groundwater, Jury Told

(Bloomberg) — Exxon Mobil Corp. used a gasoline additive it knew would poison groundwater, a lawyer told jurors at the start of a trial in which New York City seeks millions of dollars plus punitive damages from the biggest U.S. oil company.

The use of the chemical MTBE to reduce air pollution contaminated water in Queens, New York, adding to the cost of a water-treatment plant the city wants to build, an attorney for the city told a federal court jury today in opening statements.