Hershey v. ExxonMobil Oil Corp.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

J. THOMAS MARTEN, District Judge.

On March 6, 2001, the lessors of certain natural gas wells commenced an action against the lessee, Mobil Oil, alleging that Mobil had improperly deducted from their royalties the cost of making the gas marketable. That action — Farrar v. Mobil Oil, Case No. 01-CV-12 (Stevens County, Kansas District Court) — lay essentially dormant for years as other actions were resolved, until the state court certified Farrar as a class action in 2009. In the interim, the defendant ExxonMobil succeeded to Mobil’s interests, and the plaintiff Jimmie Hershey…