The Alabama Supreme Court, by tossing nearly 99 percent of a $3.6 billion verdict against ExxonMobil, the world's, largest publicly traded oil company, has refused to play Santa to state taxpayers.

Lawsuits filed in Birmingham's federal court in recent months claim that popular restaurants, a movie theater chain and a ticket ordering service have violated a law that limits the amount of credit card information companies can print on customers' receipts.

The state Legislature may not have as much money to open up programs they wanted after the Alabama Court threw out nearly all of a record verdict against Exxon Mobile.

Alabama has developed a reputation for the nation's most expensive Supreme Court races during a 12 year battle that has changed the court from all Democratic to overwhelmingly Republican.

Overturning Exxon verdict appears political, Gov. Bob Riley's legal adviser seemed surprised that the Alabama Supreme Court struck down the record $3.6 billion verdict for the state against the ExxonMobil Corp. in a dispute over natural gas pumped from Mobile Bay.

The Alabama Supreme Court on Thursday threw out nearly all of a record $3.6 billion verdict that the state government won against Exxon Mobil Corp. in a dispute over natural gas royalties.

Gov. Bob Riley, at a recent press conference with Alabama Department of Senior Services Commissioner Irene Collins, U. S. Office of Consumer Choice and Protection Director Barbara Dieker and Alabama Association for Justice (formerly the Alabama Trial Lawyers Association) President-Elect Gibson Vance, announced a new campaign to fight Medicare fraud.

In a first-of-its-kind partnership, Gov. Bob Riley's administration and a plaintiff lawyers' group are teaming up to provide kits aimed at protecting Alabama's elderly from Medicare fraud.

It must be a bit lonely for the Independent to be pushing for an affirmation verdict from the Alabama Supreme Court in the notorious ExxonMobil case, when just about every major newspaper in Alabama has called the state's case everything from ludicrous to ridiculous.

Attorneys for the state of Alabama and ExxonMobil Corp. plan to argue before the state Supreme Court on Tuesday in appeal of a jury's verdict that Exxon owes the state $3.6 billion.