Eagle Road Oil Oklahoma earthquakes $850K class action settlement

Eagle Road Oil agreed to a $850,000 class action settlement to resolve claims its wastewater disposal wells resulted in the Pawnee earthquake and Cushing earthquake in Oklahoma.

The Eagle Road Oil class action settlement benefits individuals and entities who owned property in Oklahoma since Nov. 15, 2014, and whose properties suffered damages due to the Pawnee earthquake on Sept. 3, 2016, and/or the Cushing earthquake on Nov. 6, 2016.

Eagle Road Oil is a oil and natural gas company headquartered in Oklahoma, according to NPR’s State Impact. The company operates wastewater disposal wells. 

However, these wells may have directly caused serious earthquakes in Oklahoma during 2016.

On Sept. 3, 2016, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit Pawnee, Oklahoma — setting the state record for the highest magnitude ever recorded. Shortly after in November 2016, another 5.0 magnitude earthquake hit near Cushing, Oklahoma. Both of these earthquakes in Oklahoma caused significant property damage.

After the Cushing earthquake, several plaintiffs took legal action against Eagle Road Oil, arguing the company’s disposal of fracking wastewater directly caused the earthquakes.

“By disposing of fracking wastewater deep into the earth, [Eagle Road] introduced contaminants into the natural environment that caused an adverse change to it in the form of unnatural seismic activity,” the earthquake class action petition claims.

“In other words, due to [Eagle Road’s] pollution of the environment they caused the man-made earthquakes at issue in this case.”

Plaintiffs in the case sought to hold Eagle Road accountable for the property damage sustained as a result of the two earthquakes.

Eagle Road hasn’t admitted any wrongdoing but agreed to pay $850,000 to resolve these allegations. 

Under the terms of the Oklahoma earthquake class settlement, class members can recover cash payments based on their “zone,” or proximity to Pawnee, and any damages sustained as a result of the earthquakes. Claims within each zone fund will vary depending on the number of claims filed and each class member’s damages:

• Zone A claimants with damaged properties within 25 miles of Pawnee have the strongest legal claim and will be able to receive a payment from 50% of the net settlement fund 
• Zone B claimants with damaged properties between 25 and 50 miles from Pawnee will receive payments from 25% of the net settlement fund
• Zone C claimants with damaged properties between 50 and 100 miles from Pawnee will receive payments from 15% of the net settlement fund 
• Zone D claimants with damaged properties over 100 miles from Pawnee have the weakest claims and will be able to receive payments from 10% of the net settlement fund

The deadline for exclusion and objection is Sept. 5, 2022. 

The final approval hearing for the Eagle Road Oil settlement is scheduled for Sept. 15, 2022.

In order to receive Eagle Road settlement benefits, class members must submit a valid claim form by Dec. 29, 2022. Claims must provide documentation of damages in order to receive payments.

The deadline to submit a claim in the Territory, Cummings and Tarka settlements is May 30, 2023. Class members who file a timely claim as to Eagle Road will have that claim automatically be applied to the Territory, Cummings and Tarka settlements and will not have to refile their claim.

Who’s Eligible

The settlement benefits individuals and entities who owned property in Oklahoma since Nov. 15, 2014, and whose properties suffered damages due to the Pawnee Earthquake on Sept. 3, 2016, and/or the Cushing Earthquake on Nov. 6, 2016.

Potential Award

Varies

Proof of Purchase

Documentation of damages

Claim Form

NOTE: If you do not qualify for this settlement do NOT file a claim.

Remember: you are submitting your claim under penalty of perjury. You are also harming other eligible Class Members by submitting a fraudulent claim. If you’re unsure if you qualify, please read the FAQ section of the Settlement Administrator’s website to ensure you meet all standards (Top Class Actions is not a Settlement Administrator). If you don’t qualify for this settlement, check out our database of other open class action settlements you may be eligible for.

Claim Form Deadline

12/29/2022 for the Eagle Road settlement
05/30/2023 for the Territory, Cummings and Tarka settlements 

Case Name

Final Hearing

09/15/2022

Settlement Website

PawneeEarthquakeSettlement.com

Claims Administrator

Settlement Administrator
c/o Adams v. Eagle Road
P.O. Box 990
Corte Madera, CA 94976-0990
888-890-6717

Class Counsel

Scott Poynter
POYNTER LAW GROUP

Defense Counsel

Steven J Adams
GABE GOTWALS