The lawsuit, an unusual strategy for the oil giant, comes after California’s attorney general sued Exxon last year alleging it misled the public about plastics recycling.

Exxon lawsuit accuses California's attorney general, the Sierra Club and others of defaming the oil giant with negative comments about plastic recycling.

Exxon Mobil Corp. has filed a federal defamation lawsuit against California Attorney General Rob Bonta and several environmental groups.

ExxonMobil on Monday sued California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) and a group of environmental activist groups, alleging they colluded on a campaign of defamation against the oil giant’s plastic recycling initiative.

Exxon Mobil Corp. filed a lawsuit alleging that California Attorney General Rob Bonta and several environmental groups made defamatory comments about the oil company’s ability to recycle plastic.

In a retaliatory lawsuit, Exxon says claims against it are motivated by “sordid for-profit incentives and outright greed.”

The ExxonMobil lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, alleges Bonta and a collection of environmental groups engaged in business disparagement, defamation,