Long-running Lawsuit Against XTO Energy Over Royalties in W. Pa.

February 10, 2026February 10, 2026

We stumbled across a mention of a lawsuit (Kriley v. XTO Energy) that we previously were not aware of---a lawsuit that had its beginning back in 2019 and involves seven landowners in Butler County, PA. The landowners claim that XTO Energy (a subsidiary of ExxonMobil) systematically underpaid natural gas royalties. Over the past six years, the lawsuit has evolved and was certified as a class action in late 2025, meaning it has expanded from affecting seven landowners to potentially hundreds. XTO, in its latest court filing, is attempting to limit the class action.

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