Stay Lifted in Oklahoma Earthquake Class Action Cases

In yesterday's hearing in Payne County District Court, Judge Phillip Corley lifted the stay in two class action cases seeking damages for Oklahomans that have suffered from man-made earthquakes.

The two class cases involve nine areas of induced seismicity in central Oklahoma, and the 5.0-magnitude oil and gas company induced quake that shook downtown Cushing in November of 2016.

Geophysicists at United States Geological Survey ("USGS") have ruled that the disposal of wastewater generated from fracking operations and injected into Arbuckle Formation deep below Oklahoma's surface have caused all of Oklahoma's seismicity since 2009.

Two geophysicists, Dr. Austin Holland (formerly of Oklahoma Geological Survey) and Dr. Wayne Pennington have testified in other induced seismicity litigation in the State of Oklahoma that disposal of these wastes into the Arbuckle is unreasonably dangerous and likely to cause even more damaging earthquakes.

With Judge Corley's decision to lift the two class action cases before him, the cases will now move forward.