EQT PRODUCTION CO. v. ADAIR

Nos. 13-414, 13-415, 13-418, 13-419, 13-421, 13-422, 13-2376, 13-2378, 13-2381, 13-2382, 13-2383, 13-2384.

764 F.3d 347 (2014)

EQT PRODUCTION COMPANY, Petitioner, v. Robert ADAIR, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, Respondent. EQT Production Company, Petitioner, v. Eva Mae Adkins, on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated, Respondent. EQT Production Company, Petitioner, v. Julie A. Kiser, Plaintiff and Class Representative, Respondent. CNX Gas Company, LLC, Petitioner, v. Jeffrey Carlos Hale, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, Respondent. CNX Gas Company, LLC, Petitioner, v. Doris Betty Addison, on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated, Respondent. Buckhorn Coal Company LLLP; Commonwealth Coal Corporation; Harrison-Wyatt LLC, Petitioners, v. Doris Betty Addison; Jeffrey Carlos Hale, Respondents. Robert Adair, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. EQT Production Company, Defendant-Appellant. Eva Mae Adkins, on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. EQT Production Company, Defendant-Appellant. Julie A. Kiser, Plaintiff and Class Representative, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. EQT Production Company, Defendant-Appellant. Jeffrey Carlos Hale, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. CNX Gas Company, LLC, Defendant-Appellant. Doris Betty Addison, on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. CNX Gas Company, LLC, Defendant-Appellant. Doris Betty Addison; Jeffrey Carlos Hale, Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. Buckhorn Coal Company LLLP; Commonwealth Coal Corporation; Harrison-Wyatt LLC, Defendants-Appellants.

United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.

Decided: August 19, 2014.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

ARGUED: Jonathan Todd Blank , McGuirewoods LLP, Charlottesville, Virginia; Michael Willis Smith , Christian & Barton, Richmond, Virginia, for Appellants. Elizabeth Joan Cabraser , Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, San Francisco, California, for Appellees. ON BRIEF: Stephen M. Hodges , Wade W. Massie , Mark E. Frye , Penn, Stuart & Eskridge, Abingdon, Virginia; R. Braxton Hill, IV , Christian & Barton, Richmond, Virginia, for Appellant EQT Production Company. Lisa M. Lorish , Tennille J. Checkovich , John Tracy Walker, IV , McGuirewoods LLP, Charlottesville, Virginia; James R. Creekmore , Blair Nivia Wood , Creekmore Law Firm PC, Blacksburg, Virginia, for Appellant. CNX Gas Company, LLC. Blair M. Gardner , Lee Adair Floyd , Jackson Kelly PLLC, Charleston, West Virginia; Eric D. Whitesell , Gillespie, Hart, Altizer & Whitesell, Tazewell, Virginia, for Appellants Buckhorn Coal Company LLLP, Commonwealth Coal Corporation, and Harrison-Wyatt LLC. David S. Stellings , Daniel E. Seltz , Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, New York, New York; Jackson S. White, Jr. , The White Law Office, Abingdon, Virginia, for Appellees.

Vacated and remanded by published opinion. Judge DIAZ wrote the opinion, in which Judge WILKINSON and Judge KEENAN joined.


DIAZ, Circuit Judge:

This appeal arises from the district court's decision to certify five related class action suits. The plaintiffs in each of the five classes generally allege that EQT Production Co. and CNX Gas Co. have unlawfully deprived the class members of royalty payments from the production of coalbed methane gas ("CBM") in Virginia. Four of the five classes claim that EQT and CNX have improperly remitted royalty payments to escrow or suspense accounts instead...

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