Chesapeake Settles Contamination Suite

A group of Pennsylvania landowners have settled claims against Chesapeake Energy for $1.6 million that Chesapeake's drilling and production activities contaminated property and groundwater in Bradford County, Penn.

Allen Stewart P.C., the Dallas-based law firm that represented the landowners, said no signs of pollution were found in plaintiffs' water before drilling began in 2009.

"By the summer of 2010, however, the plaintiffs' experienced sudden changes in their groundwater quality," said Allen Stewart. "At the same time, Chesapeake's wells located near the plaintiffs' properties were leaking gas because the wells had been poorly cemented."

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection determined that Chesapeake's gas wells were responsible for the methane in the plaintiffs' water, Allen Stewart said. The firm noted that one family had to evacuate their home for two weeks due to the excess methane levels.

Attorneys with Pennsylvania-based law firms O'Malley & Langan, Goldberg, Persky & White and Florida-based The Romano Law Firm also represented the landowners in the case.
 

Karen Boman has more than 10 years of experience covering the upstream oil and gas sector. Email Karen at kboman@rigzone.com.

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