Exxon Defeats Gasoline Cancer Claim As Oil Companies Fend Off Sprawling ‘Lawfare’ Push
A Philadelphia jury rejected claims that ExxonMobil gasoline was defectively designed and caused a man's leukemia, marking a win for the oil industry as it fights high-stakes court cases.
Paris Apodaca · Oct 20, 2026 · 4 min read
A Philadelphia jury rejected claims that ExxonMobil gasoline was defectively designed and caused a man’s leukemia, marking a win for the oil industry as it fights high-stakes court cases.
Jurors ruled Oct. 13 that ExxonMobil’s benzene-containing gasoline was not defectively designed in a lawsuit brought by Leon and Ruth Mazza, according to the Pennsylvania Record. Although jurors found the gasoline lacked adequate warnings about benzene exposure, they also rejected allegations that ExxonMobil intentionally concealed the chemical’s dangers.
“The verdict in the Mazza case shows that juries still rule on facts rather than emotions when a ‘big oil’ defendant makes its case,” energy analyst David Blackmon told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The Mazzas filed their lawsuit in July 2023 against ExxonMobil and several other companies, including Shell, Chevron, BP and U.S. Steel, according to the Pennsylvania Record. Leon Mazza alleged that exposure to benzene-containing products while working at an Exxon station, an auto body shop and landscaping businesses, as well as participating in drag racing, contributed to his leukemia diagnosis in 2022.
“The claims against Exxon were specious on their face,” Blackmon said. “There is no valid science supporting such a claim and the jury figured it out despite the best efforts of plaintiff lawyers to cloud the facts.”
ExxonMobil did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
Benzene is a known human carcinogen linked to leukemia, according to the National Cancer Institute. However, the health effects of chemical exposure depend on factors including the amount and duration of exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The verdict follows another high-profile Philadelphia gasoline lawsuit involving ExxonMobil, although the two cases produced sharply different outcomes.
A jury awarded Paul Gill $725 million and his wife, Diane, $500,000 in May 2024 after finding that Mobil Oil, ExxonMobil’s predecessor, negligently sold defective gasoline containing benzene. The Pennsylvania Superior Court upheld the $725.5 million verdict Oct. 15, 2026, according to the court’s opinion.