A related federal consolidated derivative action and an Oklahoma state court derivative action are stayed pursuant to the parties' stipulation pending resolution of the appeal in the federal securities class action. On May 8, 2012, a derivative action was filed in the District Court of Oklahoma County, Oklahoma against the Company's directors alleging, among other things, breaches of fiduciary duties and corporate waste related to the Company's officers and directors' use of the Company's fractionally owned corporate jets. On August 21, 2012, the District Court granted the Company's motion to dismiss for lack of derivative standing, and the plaintiff appealed the ruling on December 6, 2012. Regulatory Proceedings. On May 2, 2012, Chesapeake and Mr. McClendon received notice from the SEC that its Fort Worth Regional Office had commenced an informal inquiry into, among other things, certain of the matters alleged in the foregoing 2012 securities and shareholder lawsuits. On December 21, 2012, the SEC’s Fort Worth Regional Office advised Chesapeake that its inquiry is continuing as an investigation. The Company is providing information and testimony to the SEC pursuant to subpoenas and otherwise in connection with this matter and is also responding to related inquiries from other governmental and regulatory agencies and self-regulatory organizations. The Company has received, from the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and certain state governmental agencies, subpoenas and demands for documents, information and testimony in connection with investigations into possible violations of federal and state laws relating to our purchase and lease of oil and gas rights in various states. Chesapeake has engaged in discussions with the DOJ and state agencies and continues to respond to such subpoenas and demands, including a subpoena issued by the Michigan Department of Attorney General relating to its investigation of possible violations of that state’s criminal solicitation law. Business Operations. Chesapeake is involved in various other lawsuits and disputes incidental to its business operations, including commercial disputes, personal injury claims, royalty claims, property damage claims and contract actions. With regard to contract actions, various mineral or leasehold owners have filed lawsuits against us seeking specific performance to require us to acquire their natural gas and oil interests and pay acreage bonus payments, damages based on breach of contract and/or, in certain cases, punitive damages based on alleged fraud. The Company has successfully defended a number of these cases in various courts, has settled others and believes that it has substantial defenses to the claims made in those pending at the trial court and on appeal. Regarding royalty claims, Chesapeake and other natural gas producers have been named in various lawsuits alleging royalty underpayment. The suits allege that we used below-market prices, made improper deductions, used improper measurement techniques and/or entered into arrangements with affiliates that resulted in underpayment of royalties in connection with the production and sale of natural gas and NGL. The Company is defending against certain pending claims, has resolved a number of claims through negotiated settlements of past and future royalties and has prevailed in various other lawsuits. Environmental Proceedings On December 19, 2013, our subsidiary Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC (CALLC) entered into a consent decree with the EPA, the DOJ and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) to resolve alleged violations of the CWA and the West Virginia Water Pollution Control Act at 27 sites in West Virginia. In a complaint filed against CALLC the same day in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, the EPA and WVDEP alleged that CALLC impounded streams and discharged sand, dirt, rocks and other fill material into streams and wetlands without a federal permit in order to construct well pads, impoundments, road crossings and other facilities related to natural gas extraction. The consent decree, also lodged on December 19, 2013, is subject to court approval. The consent decree requires CALLC to pay a civil penalty of approximately $3 million, to be divided evenly between the U.S. and the state of West Virginia. The consent decree settlement also requires that CALLC restore the affected wetlands and streams in accordance with an agreed plan, monitor the restored sites for up to 10 years to assure the success of the restoration, and implement a comprehensive compliance program to ensure future compliance with the CWA and applicable West Virginia law. To offset the impacts to sites, CALLC is required by the consent decree to perform compensatory mitigation, which will likely involve purchasing credits from a wetland mitigation bank located in a local watershed. Eleven of the sites covered by the consent decree were subject to orders for compliance issued by the EPA in 2010 and 2011. Since then, CALLC has been correcting the alleged violations and restoring those sites in compliance with EPA’s orders. The settlement resolves alleged violations of both the CWA and state law.
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