Attorneys representing a Colorado man who owns mineral rights in Oklahoma have filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against two large oil and gas companies.
The class-action lawsuit was filed against Chesapeake Energy and Sandridge Energy. It stems from a federal grand jury indictment Tuesday of former Chesapeake CEO Aubrey McClendon.
The executive was accused of masterminding a conspiracy to rig bids for the purchase of oil and gas leases. On Wednesday, McClendon was killed in a fiery, single-car crash. Police say McClendon was alone in a speeding SUV when it hit a concrete embankment and burst into flames.
The Justice Department has moved to to dismiss the McClendon indictment and an investigation into McClendon’s death is ongoing. The civil case against the companies also names former Sandridge CEO Tom Ward, who was a longtime friend of McClendon’s.
