Sally E. Rice v. Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Company LP
Rice v. Burlington Resources Settlement
20-cv-00431-GKF-SH

Welcome to the Rice v. Burlington Resources Settlement Website

If You Are or Were a Royalty Owner Paid by Burlington Resources for Oil-and-Gas Proceeds from a North Dakota Oil-and-Gas Well, You Could Be a Part of a Proposed Class Action Settlement

Important Update: The Settlement Administrator began issuing Distribution Checks to eligible Class Members on January 24, 2024.

What is this lawsuit about?

The Litigation seeks damages for Burlington’s alleged failure to timely pay royalty proceeds on oil‑and‑gas production from North Dakota wells operated by Burlington. Burlington expressly denies all allegations of wrongdoing or liability with respect to the claims and allegations in the Litigation. The Court has made no determination with respect to the merits of any of the parties’ claims or defenses.

Who is included?

The Settlement Class in the Litigation consists of the following individuals and entities:

All non‑excluded persons or entities owning mineral interests in North Dakota wells who: (1) received untimely payments from Burlington for royalties in North Dakota wells during the Claim Period; and (2) whose payments did not include the 18% interest required by North Dakota law.

The Claim Period means all periods from and including August 25, 2014, to June 30, 2021. A list of the persons or entities excluded from the Class can be found in the Notice of Proposed Settlement, which is available for download from the Important Documents page.

What does the Settlement provide?

In settlement of the Released Claims, Defendant has agreed to pay Four Million Dollars ($4,000,000.00) in cash (“Gross Settlement Fund”). In exchange for this payment, the Settlement Class shall release the Released Claims (as defined in the Settlement Agreement) against the Released Parties (as defined in the Settlement Agreement). The Gross Settlement Fund, less Plaintiff’s Attorneys’ Fees, a Case Contribution Award, and Litigation Expenses and Administration, Notice, and Distribution Costs, and any other costs approved by the Court (the “Net Settlement Fund”), will be distributed to participating Class Members pursuant to the terms of the Settlement Agreement.

The Class Representative and Plaintiff’s Counsel believe that the Settlement is in the best interest of the Settlement Class, and, therefore, they intend to support the proposed Settlement at the Final Fairness Hearing.

YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS AND OPTIONS

These deadlines may be moved, canceled, or otherwise modified, so please check this site regularly for updates.

Option/Deadline Event
Do Nothing, Participate In The Settlement By taking no action, your interests will be represented by Plaintiff as the Class Representative and Plaintiff’s Counsel. As a Class Member, you will be bound by the outcome of the Settlement, if finally approved by the Court and if you are entitled to a distribution pursuant to the Allocation Methodology, you will receive your portion of the Net Settlement Fund and you will be bound by the Settlement Agreement and all orders and judgments entered by the Court regarding the Settlement.

Exclude Yourself
(received by July 20, 2023, at 5 p.m. CT)
(Passed)

 If you do not wish to be a member of the Settlement Class, then you must exclude yourself from the Settlement Class. If you validly request exclusion, you will not receive any distribution from the Net Settlement Fund, you cannot object to the Settlement, and you will not have released any claim against the Released Parties. You will not be legally bound by anything that happens in the Litigation. For more information, see FAQ 6.

Object
(received by July 20, 2023, at 5 p.m. CT)
(Passed)

 Any Class Member who wishes to object to the fairness, reasonableness, or adequacy of the Settlement, any term of the Settlement, the Allocation Methodology, the Plan of Allocation, the request for Plaintiff’s Attorneys’ Fees and Litigation Expenses and Administration, Notice, and Distribution Costs, or the request for a Case Contribution Award to Class Representative may file an objection. For more information, see FAQ 7.
Retain Your Own Attorney You have the right to retain your own attorney to represent you at the Final Fairness Hearing, which will be held on August 25, 2023, beginning at 1:30 p.m. If you retain separate counsel, you will be responsible to pay his or her fees and expenses out of your own pocket. For more information about the Hearing see FAQ 4.

For More Information

Visit this website often to get the most up-to-date information.

Call
1-844-798-0742
Email
info@rice-burlington.com
Mail
Rice v. Burlington Resources Settlement
c/o JND Legal Administration
PO Box 91205
Seattle, WA 98111