Attorneys in Oklahoma are laying the groundwork for a massive class action lawsuit surrounding the recent profusion of earthquakes in the Sooner State.
As StateImpact reports,Pawnee resident James Adams issuing 27 different fracking companies in a case that concerns the 5.8-magnitude earthquake that shook Pawnee County in September.
If a judge allows the case to move forward, more residents could join the class action. The attorneys argue that wastewater pumped into wells in and around Pawnee triggered the earthquake and weeks of aftershocks.
The lawsuit is seeking to induce the oil and gas companies to compensate residents for damage to homes and property, as well as emotional harm caused by the quakes. Only two of the 25 companies accused in the suit were named: Eagle Road Oil and Cummings Oil Company.
The Pawnee quake is the largest ever recorded in Oklahoma.