51 plaintiffs sued oil companies in a rural county in Oklahoma claiming the companies’ salt water injection wells caused multiple clusters of earthquakes and property damage in multiple counties. Kerry Lewis and Lindsey Albers of Rhodes Hieronymus secured an Order of Dismissal of the lawsuit on numerous grounds, including the statute of limitations and absence of specific causation The Court also rejected Plaintiffs’ claim that salt water disposal is an ultra-hazardous activity. Dozens of cases claiming oil production activity has caused earthquakes have been filed and are pending in Oklahoma. While not precedent, this is a significant result for defense of other cases.
