When Exxon Mobil announced unexpectedly bullish targets for pumping oil out of Texas and New Mexico in the spring of 2019, the news sparked confusion for two scientists at the Irving-based company.Damian Burch and Lindsey Gulden would soon complain to Exxon Mobil’s human resources investigators that Burch’s team was pressured to doctor data to make it look like the company was poised to generate billions of dollars more in oil than it was, according to interviews and the findings of a Labor Department investigation.That complaint against Exxon was dismissed late last week by a judge who found the plaintiffs had not provided adequate evidence to show company executives intentionally defrauded investors.“The terminations were devastating for Complainants, who are high-level professionals, neither of whom had ever been terminated from a position.” In addition to offering the scientists their job back, the department also directed Exxon to pay Gulden more than $385,000 and Burch more than $366,000 in back pay and damages.While the company prevailed in a suit filed by New York, judges in other large cases have rejected Exxon Mobil’s efforts to have them dismissed."