Colorado Court Dismisses Homeowners’ Suit to Prevent Neighborhood Drilling

DENVER — A Colorado state court has dismissed homeowners’ claims for injunctive relief and diminished value damages against oil and gas drillers, finding that plaintiffs failed to exhaust administrative remedies or provide a basis for prospective damage claims.

Denver District Court Judge Norman D. Haglund dismissed the action Aug. 17, after previously allowing plaintiffs to amend their complaint to remedy similar pleading difficulties.

Homeowners in the Battlement Mesa development filed class claims against Antero Resources Corp. and other defendants in July 2011, seeking damages for diminution of property values, medical monitoring, and equitable relief.

They alleged that they were harmed …