Chevron noted in a statement that it was being sued over oil and gas activity conducted by Texaco, which Chevron acquired in 2001, under a 1980 law. It argues that the law was never meant to apply to oil and gas activities that took place before the statute went into effect. The companies also say that the cases belong in federal court because some of the oil and gas activity at issue was conducted under federal guidance, part of the World War II effort.