Nearly two dozen Tarrant County landowners, including Fort Worth billionaire Ed Bass, have sued Chesapeake Energy in federal court in Dallas, claiming the producer shorted them on royalty payments. According to the suit filed Wednesday, Chesapeake Operating and Chesapeake Exploration, which hold leases on nearly 4,000 acres owned by the plaintiffs, passed on production costs in breach of their leases and imposed other costs improperly. The suit also claims the company used two affiliates to set below-market sales prices for natural gas produced from the leases. Julie Wilson, Chesapeake's vice president for urban development in the Barnett Shale, declined to comment.
For more, see the Star-Telegram's report.
-- Jim Fuquay
