MDL Docket Created for Shale Oil Producer Price Fixing Litigation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has created an MDL docket for actions accusing shale oil producers of conspiring to limit domestic production with the goal of fixing the price of petroleum- based products at an artificially high level.

On Aug. 1, the panel transferred the five actions to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico. The parties told the panel that there are 11 potentially related actions.

The cases concern shale oil used to produce petroleum-based products such as gasoline, diesel fuel, commercial marine fuel, or heating oil sold in the U.S. According …