NEW YORK--A jury has ordered Exxon Mobil Corp. to pay nearly $105 million in damages in a lawsuit over alleged groundwater contamination from gasoline additive methyl tertiary butyl ether, or MTBE, New York City officials said Monday.
In a statement, New York City's Law Department said a jury awarded $104.7 million to the city in a product-liability case Monday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
"Our water supply is one of our most vital resources--and we will work to protect it and go after those who damage it," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement.
The city had alleged that in part that Exxon Mobil ignored warnings from its own scientists and engineers not to use MTBE in areas that use groundwater for drinking water, such as the New York City borough of Queens.
The city also claimed Exxon Mobil failed to inform government agencies, gasoline station owners, water suppliers and the public about the dangers from MTBE.
The case revolved around six wells in Queens that are part of the city's drinking water supply system.