Since the late 1990s, Chesapeake Energy Corp. has paid out $1.2 billion in settlements related to royalty claims. The latest settlement totalling $119 million will be presented to a Beaver County, Oklahoma, court in April, according to The Oklahoman.

Claims for this case date to 2004, when Chesapeake deducted expenses for marketing and midstream services at more than 11,800 natural gas wells in Oklahoma. The settlement that will go before a Beaver County judge in April will cover royalty owners from 2004 to 2014.

Oklahoma’s royalty laws are unclear, especially in regards to a 1998 court case that decided that lessees are responsible for costs that make natural gas “marketable.” “Marketable” was left undefined, though.

Via: The Oklahoman > Chesapeake to pay $119 million in settlement to royalty owners over natural gas marketing costs in Oklahoma