Landowners Suing Drilling Companies for Fraud Move to Consolidate 2 Pa. Cases

PITTSBURGH -Pennsylvania landowners suing Chesapeake Appalachia and its predecessors for bad faith and fraud have moved to consolidate two federal court cases they say involve identical issues and parties. Chesapeake Appalachia LLC v. McRoberts, et al., No. 12-cv-379 (W.D. Pa.).

Robert and Mary McRoberts and Michael and Kelly Carreon, who are also defendants in an action for injunctive relief filed by Chesapeake in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania to prevent interference in its drilling operations, filed the consolidation motion April 27 after Chesapeake removed the contract action to the same court (McRoberts, et al. v. …