Lawsuit

The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, said it will file the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington, DC within the next few weeks, challenging the decision of Bush and Cheney to withhold the documents on the grounds that it would encroach on the authority of the executive branch. This marks the first time the GAO will bring legal action against the executive branch to compel production of information and records.

Canadian 88 Energy Corp. and Canadian Superior Energy Inc., involved in litigation over the past several months that played out loudly and often in the press, announced Friday that “all issues and all litigation between them” — including between former Canadian 88 CEO Greg Noval — have been “fully settled.” Noval is now CEO of Canadian Superior.

U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn O. Silver issued an order last week dismissing federal and Arizona Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) allegations made by Southern Union Co. against Southwest Gas Corp. The court also dismissed federal and state RICO allegations that Southern Union brought against Southwest’s Chairman Thomas Hartley, CEO Michael Maffie and Edward Zub, executive vice president/consumer resources and energy services.

U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn O. Silver issued an order last week dismissing federal and Arizona Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) allegations made by Southern Union Co. against Southwest Gas Corp. The court also dismissed federal and state RICO allegations that Southern Union brought against Southwest’s Chairman Thomas Hartley, CEO Michael Maffie and Edward Zub, executive vice president/consumer resources and energy services.

Seeking to set aside what it called an “inappropriate”multi-billion verdict in which a jury awarded the State of Alabama$87 million in compensatory damages and $3.4 billion in punitivedamages over unpaid royalty fees, ExxonMobil Corp. filed an appealyesterday with the Circuit Court of Montgomery County, AL.

Scana Energy Marketing, a subsidiary of Scana Corp., has filed alawsuit in Cobb County Superior Court in Georgia in an attempt tohave the marketing alliance contract which it signed in 1998 withsix co-ops nullified.

Scana Energy Marketing, a subsidiary of Scana Corp., has filed alawsuit in Cobb County Superior Court in Georgia in an attempt tohave the marketing alliance contract, which it signed in 1998 withsix co-ops, nullified.

After a two-month investigation, the Department of Justice fileda lawsuit last week against affiliates of ExxonMobil and BurlingtonResources for “knowingly underpaying” natural gas royalties forproduction from federal and Indian lands. Justice also requestedmore time to decide whether to sue Shell Oil and Meridian Oil forsimilar violations.

“Not with a bang, but a whimper”…the $7.5 billion lawsuitfiled by TransAmerican Natural Gas against merging giants CoastalCorp. and El Paso Natural Gas, slid to a quiet grave under a sealedsettlement agreement.