6th Circuit Says Fracking Operator Underpaid Royalties, Affirms $10M Award

( April 3, 2025, 2:19 PM EDT) -- CINCINNATI — A panel of the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on April 2 affirmed a lower court’s ruling that awarded royalty owners $10 million against a hydraulic fracturing operator for the underpayment of royalties, ruling that, under the contract, the fracking company cannot deduct the costs of “processing” and “fractionation” from the royalties they pay landowners....