Companies asking Oklahoma judge to throw out Prague resident Sandra Ladra’s frack waste quake lawsuit

Companies asking Oklahoma judge to toss earthquake lawsuit by Associated Press, December 9, 2015, Fuel Fix

Incredible photos.  Click to view

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Two energy companies are asking a judge to throw out a lawsuit by an Oklahoma woman who claims she was injured in an earthquake caused by the injection of wastewater deep into the ground — a method used for decades by the industry to dispose of the chemical-laced byproduct of oil and gas production.

The lawsuit by Prague resident Sandra Ladra alleges the companies are liable because they operated the wastewater disposal wells that triggered the largest earthquake in state history, a 5.6-magnitude temblor that hit in 2011. Ladra, who claims the quake crumbled her two-story fireplace and caused rocks to fall on her legs and gash her knee, is among others who have similar lawsuits pending across the country.

Lincoln County District Judge Cynthia Ferrell Ashwood is to hear the companies’ motion to dismiss Wednesday. Ladra is suing Spess Oil Co., in Cleveland, Oklahoma, Tulsa-based New Dominion LLC and 25 unnamed parties.

Ladra’s case was given new life in June when the Oklahoma Supreme Court overturned an earlier decision by Ashwood to dismiss the suit, ruling then that the court didn’t have jurisdiction in the matter.

Energy companies claim the litigation could cripple oil and gas production in Oklahoma….

Scientists have linked injection of wastewater to the sharp uptick of earthquakes in Oklahoma. A recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey traced wastewater injection methods to the 1920s in Oklahoma and tied the rise in quakes in the past 100 years to industrial activities, such as oil and natural gas production. About 1.5 billion barrels of wastewater was disposed underground in Oklahoma last year, according to statistics released by the governor’s office.

A swarm of earthquakes has recently rumbled through the north-central swath of the state, one with a 4.7 magnitude. In response, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s oil and gas division has proposed ways for wastewater disposal well operators in that area to halt or reduce volume.

Scott E. Poynter, Ladra’s lead attorney, said the scientific studies linking injection wells to earthquakes — and a state agency that recently said it’s “very likely” the cause — bolsters her claim.

“When you look at the actual science and you look at the data, you can’t help but go, ‘It’s the injection wells, stupid.’ It’s just that obvious,” Poynter said. “Oklahoma shouldn’t have more earthquakes than anywhere on the planet, but it does.”

An attorney for New Dominion declined to comment on the case outside of court. A lawyer for Spess Oil didn’t return a message seeking comment.

Kim Hatfield, president of Crawley Petroleum, which operates in Oklahoma and Texas, said the ramifications of lawsuits such as Ladra’s could weaken the energy industry in Oklahoma and have devastating economic consequences.

“Are you familiar with ‘The Grapes of Wrath’? This would make that look like a comedy,” Hatfield said. “That would be a self-inflicted wound of tremendous magnitude for the state, and oil companies will say, ‘We’re not going to drill in Oklahoma.’

“It would be a tragedy of just monumental proportions,” he said.

[Refer also to:

Oil companies can be sued by earthquake victim in 7-0 Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling, Oklahoma has been hit by a dramatic spike in earthquakes in last 5 years

2014 04 18: Alberta Moves to Strike Down Ernst’s Fracking Lawsuit, Landmark case could spark a flood of litigation against the province, lawyer argues

An Alberta government lawyer argued in court this week that Jessica Ernst’s lawsuit on hydraulic fracturing and groundwater contamination should be struck down on the grounds that it would open a floodgate of litigation against the province.

“There could be millions or billions of dollars worth of damages,” argued Crown counsel Neil Boyle.

2014 05 24 Neil Boyle Ab Court of Queen's Bench 'millions or billions of damages'

Court sketch, Ernst v. Alberta Government, Slide from Ernst presentations ]

This entry was posted in Global Frac News, Other Legal. Bookmark the permalink.