A jury in Baltimore County, Maryland, has ordered petroleum giant Exxon Mobil to pay $1.5 billion in damages to residents and businesses of a town affected by a gasoline leak in 2006.

The jury awarded $495 million in compensatory damages and more than $1 billion in punitive damages to 160 residents and businesses in Jacksonville, MD, where 260,000 gallons of gasoline leaked out into the soil from a ruptured underground pipe.

The total penalty is equal to about 5% of Exxon Mobil’s annual profits. The company tells the Associated Press it plans to appeal the ruling.

Exxon Mobil ordered to pay $1.5B for Md. gas leak [Philly.com]

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