Meier v. Chesapeake Operating L.L.C.

324 F. Supp. 3d 1207
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Oklahoma
DecidedAugust 13, 2018
DocketCase No. CIV-17-703-F
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 324 F. Supp. 3d 1207 (Meier v. Chesapeake Operating L.L.C.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Meier v. Chesapeake Operating L.L.C., 324 F. Supp. 3d 1207 (W.D. Okla. 2018).

Opinion

STEPHEN P. FRIOT, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Before the court are the following motions:

• Defendant Special Energy Corporation's Special Appearance, Motion to Dismiss (doc. no. 65);
• Devon Energy Production Company, L.P.'s Motion to Dismiss (doc. no. 66);
• Defendant Midstates Petroleum Company LLC's Motion to Strike Pre-Effective Date Allegations (doc. no. 67);
• Defendant White Star Petroleum, LLC's Motion to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim (doc. no. 68);
• Defendant Midstates Petroleum Company LLC's Motion to Dismiss (doc. no. 69);
• Defendant Range Production Company, LLC's Motion to Dismiss (doc. no. 70);
• Defendant Chesapeake Operating, LLC's Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs' Petition (doc. no. 71); and
• Defendant New Dominion, LLC's Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff's Class Action Petition (doc. no. 72).

*1210Upon due consideration of the parties' submissions regarding all motions, the court makes its determination.

Background

Plaintiffs, Matt Meier, Sheryl Meier and Kai Bach, bring this action on behalf of themselves and others similarly situated, to recover damages consisting of insurance premiums paid for earthquake insurance for homes and property located in Oklahoma. Plaintiffs allege that since 2008, defendants' operation of wastewater disposal wells ("injection wells") drilled into the Arbuckle formation has caused thousands of man-made earthquakes throughout large swaths of Oklahoma, and as a result, many Oklahomans have been forced to purchase earthquake insurance to provide financial protection against damage to their homes and property. In addition, plaintiffs allege that the man-made earthquakes caused by defendants' injection wells have caused the cost of earthquake insurance to soar. Plaintiffs allege that the substantial increase in earthquake activity in Oklahoma has caused earthquake insurance companies to hike their premiums by as much as 260 percent from 2014 to 2017. In this action, plaintiffs, for themselves and others similarly situated, seek to recoup the cost of obtaining and maintaining insurance coverage since 2009 under tort theories of public and private nuisance, ultrahazardous activities and negligence. Specifically, plaintiffs seek the "value of premiums paid to obtain earthquake insurance coverage" and the "excess amount required to maintain earthquake insurance coverage after 2009." Class Action Petition ("complaint"), doc. no. 1-2, ¶¶ 94, 98, 101 and 105. Plaintiffs additionally seek punitive damages, attorneys' fees, expenses, costs and pre-judgment and post-judgment interest.

Plaintiffs' action was originally commenced in the District Court of Payne County, State of Oklahoma. Defendant, Devon Energy Production, L.P., removed the action to this court pursuant to the Class Action Fairness Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1332(d). All named defendants, who according to plaintiffs, are "some of the largest operators of wastewater injection wells in the Arbuckle formation," complaint, doc. no. 1-2, ¶ 3, have now moved, pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), Fed. R. Civ. P., to dismiss plaintiffs' complaint, on various grounds. In addition, defendant, Midstates Petroleum Company LLC, seeks to dismiss plaintiffs' complaint against it, pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1), Fed. R. Civ. P., because of its bankruptcy case. It has also moved to strike all pre-effective date allegations from plaintiffs' complaint due to the bankruptcy case. Further, defendant, Chesapeake Operating L.L.C., seeks to dismiss plaintiffs' complaint under Rule 12(b)(1) based upon the lack of standing by plaintiffs and the lack of ripeness of their claims. Plaintiffs oppose dismissal on all grounds.

Jurisdictional Issues

Bankruptcy

Midstates Petroleum Company, Inc. and defendant, Midstates Petroleum Company, LLC, filed a voluntary petition for relief in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas on April 30, 2016. The bankruptcy court entered its findings of fact, conclusions of law, and an order confirming the Chapter 11 plan of reorganization for both of the Midstates debtors on September 28, 2016. The effective date of confirmation of the plan was October 21, 2016. According to defendant, all claims prior to October 21, 2016 were discharged by the bankruptcy court's order.

In its motion, defendant argues that plaintiffs' claims should be dismissed because the bankruptcy court retained exclusive jurisdiction over all matters arising out of or related to the Chapter 11 proceedings *1211and the plan of reorganization, including any cases, controversies, suits or disputes with respect to discharges, releases and injunctions provided for in the plan. Defendant maintains that plaintiffs' claims implicate the discharge and injunction provisions of the confirmation order and plan. Even if the court were to determine that it has subject matter jurisdiction, defendant argues that plaintiffs cannot assert pre-effective date claims that were discharged as part of the bankruptcy proceedings and those claims should be dismissed. Defendant further argues that all allegations of pre-effective date events should be stricken from the complaint with respect to defendant as plaintiffs are barred from relying on those allegations to support any post-effective date claims, if any.

Plaintiffs, in response, state that defendant believes their claims are based on unidentified earthquakes beginning in 2008 but their "claims are not based on the occurrence of any given or specific earthquake(s) at all." Doc. no. 75, at 37 (emphasis in original). They maintain that their claims are based on the concurrent conduct of defendants in injecting wastewater into the Arbuckle formation - conduct that each defendant continues to engage in to the present day. To that extent, plaintiffs contend that they have alleged that defendant has engaged in post-confirmation conduct for which there is no discharge under the bankruptcy code. Therefore, because the complaint alleges continuing injection activities on the part of defendant, which would include post-confirmation conduct supporting liability for their claims, plaintiffs contend that dismissal is not warranted. According to plaintiffs, the only question will be defendant's share of the harm caused by the concurrent activities.

In addition, plaintiffs contend that the allegations in the complaint should not be stricken because even if no liability can stem from pre-effective date injection activities, the allegations do have evidentiary value and are not irrelevant.

Defendant, in reply, asserts that plaintiffs do not contest that their claims arising out of pre-effective date conduct are barred by the bankruptcy court's order discharging all claims accruing before the pre-effective date of October 21, 2016. Defendant contends that plaintiffs' pre-effective date events have no place in this case, as an evidentiary matter or otherwise, in light of the effect of the discharge and injunction provisions of the bankruptcy court's order.

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Bluebook (online)
324 F. Supp. 3d 1207, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/meier-v-chesapeake-operating-llc-okwd-2018.