Royalty Owner Class Certification Denied
Obtained the first denial of a class certification motion on behalf of royalty owners in federal district court in Oklahoma City in almost 13 years. Subsequent decisions in the district followed suit.
North Dakota Court Persuaded to Refuse to Certify Class Action
Successful in persuading North Dakota court to refuse to certify a class action urged by a plaintiff on behalf of royalty owners in a large production unit in North Dakota.
Obtained Reversal of District Court’s Order to Certify Royalty Owners as a Class
Successful in convincing the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals to reverse a district court’s order certifying a class of royalty owners applying the de novo standard of review.
Billion Dollar Affirmative Injunctive Relief
Pursued and successfully obtained injunctive relief worth approximately $1 billion requiring affirmative assignment of oil and gas properties to rightful owner and successfully defended appeal of trial court decision to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Complaint to trial in less than 60 days
With a prompt adjudication on the merits crucial to the development of a $250 million wind farm project, the Firm persuaded a federal court to set a merits trial less than two months after the case was filed. At trial, the court found that in this instance, the proposed wind farm would not interfere with the plaintiff’s reasonable use of the surface estate to explore and develop its mineral interest and defeated the plaintiff’s request for a permanent injunction.
Representation of Interstate Pipeline in Royalty Owner Class Action
Class plaintiffs sought more than $1.4 billion in damages. Successful motion practice on behalf of defendant substantially reduced exposure, and, following a multi-week trial, client was able to settle for a fraction of the damages sought.
Affirmance by State Appellate Court of $742 Million Verdict
In breach of merger agreement between energy companies, obtained $742 million verdict and affirmance of same on appeal to state appellate court.
Successful Trial Court and Appellate Representation Against MMS
Successfully handled trial court and subsequent appeal in matter involving Mineral Management Services, obtaining a favorable en banc decision for client in Circuit Court of Appeals.