South Bay : MOBIL REVISITED

Just when the long-running refinery debate in Torrance had appeared to enter a summer hiatus, a new lawsuit is taking aim at practices at the massive Mobil Oil Corp. refinery.

The suit, filed by three employees of Mobil and its subcontractors but claiming to represent the interests of more than 500 employees of the company and subcontractors, says Mobil has handled toxic materials improperly, failed to notify authorities about leaks and spills and put workers at risk. Filed last week in U.S. District Court, it seeks nearly $2 billion in damages.

Mobil officials countered in a statement Wednesday that their review of the draft complaint found it to be “nothing more than a series of inflammatory and irresponsible conclusions with absolutely no facts cited” supporting its claims.