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A Star-Telegram reporter just tweeted "Wise County family speaking to press on lawsuit filed today, say gas drilling made them sick." He said there will be a story on the paper's website later today and that some television news stations were there as well.
Don't know who they are, who the lawyer is, or the merits of the case, but they did a good job on the publicity side.
With all this talk about gas well pollution, people forget about a Wise County case where a jury awarded $200,000,000 in punitive damages alone for land contamination in 1997. It was reversed on appeal on statute of limitations grounds.
Edit: The story about the lawsuit is up.
33 comments:
I hear Erin Brockovich is the legal assistant working for the attorney.
Stay polluted my friend.
I think it's the family in the Allison community.
I hear it coming in 5-4-3-2-1.........Let it begin!
I wonder if they're republican.
1:07, I have it on good authority that they are Texan.
Poured out because of the Statute of Limitation?!? Day-um! Was it the Texas Supreme Court? They only have one rule: plaintiffs get poured out.
At least the wife is being a good actress. That poor pitiful me look on her face is priceless.
Even if the claims of sickness due to chemicals is proven to a jury, our higher courts will claim that the evidence is reliable.
You see, in Texas, evidence used to convict an alleged criminal is almost always reliable. Evidence used to hold companies accountable is almost never reliable.
GIT-YO-MONEY....!!!!
Some people will do anything for money!! Got get a job the drilling is nor making you sick!!! They must be kin to the people in dish!!!
If they were making money on it then I bet you would not hear how sick they were. I'v worked in the oil field every day fro 33 years and I havent even had a cold in 2 years. I work around the City of Dish every day and all they want is a slice of the money pie.
I'm Oil Field Trash and proud of it
Look around folks do you see anyone that works in the oil and gas field that looks sick? most are like me a little chubby around the middle. most have been working in the same field day after day for years.I worked on a drilling rig for 15 years now I check gas wells every day and I'm never sick.
3:50
Is this your porofessional opinion or your "loyal to oil company opinion". The oil field deals with dangerous chemicals everyday. Who are you to say it is not making anyone sick? You sound like a corporate hack.
LEL
I love Texas. And I love that we have a sea of oil & gas under our fertile soil.But Big Oil do something wrong? Heaven forbid! (the last two sentences were sarcasm for those who are literal readers) Ask the people around Breckenridge and Ranger about water table contamination from unregulated drilling in the early 1900s. To put it in a rural vernacular, it is hard to get that horse back in the barn once the door is left open. You may not feel the effects of benzene exposure today, but you darn sure will down the road. If you doubt me, ask your family doctor. Rant over.
My Other Brother Darryl
4:57 do you not think the oil companys learned anything from the water contaminations of the 1900? Think about it would they make the employees sick that work around the chemicals every day knowing the would have to pay big money if they ever got sick employees knowing what was in the chemicals (MSDS)
Do folks that actually drill the wells get sick?
She said they "raise cattle". How many do you suppose they raise on only 40 acres of land? And their cattle are stunted and deformed also. Raised cattle here for over 50 years with oil wells all around and I don't have any stunted or deformed cattle. By they way, one of my kids had nose bleeds when she was about the same age as her daughter and she outgrew it before she turned 12. Would you like some cheese with that whine?
The lesson to be learned here is that property without mineral rights is worthless. Period. End of sentence.
What about the other 50,000 Wise Countians who live within 2 miles of 50 wells?
They're disapointed haven't hit the lottery yet...
They've broke themselves one way or another...
Something's wrong and it doesn't have anything to do with gas wells.
Pathetic
Sharon Wilson, left wing anti-drilling activists, posted on her left wing blog, this would happen. The Messenger has been willing to print the accusations of the family along with comments from Wilson, who advocates a moratorium on fracturing used in the development of natural gas.
To better understand politics and natural gas, read American Thinker article written by Ed Lasky "Cheap Natural Gas and Its Democrat Enemies". Then take seriously the power of the Obama administration's activists EPA, that will be doing a study of natural gas drilling impact on the envirnoment in Wise and Denton County. The far left wants all drilling stopped.
Sharon Wilson continues to go after Big Oil. She served on David Van Os campaign for Texas AG back in 2006. She gained her fame as a blogger on Daily Kos and Texas Kaos by pitching her tent beside Cindy Sheehan outside George Bush's ranch in Crawford.
Because the Messenger has taken on her cause, the EPA is going to do a study, and an envirnomental doctor with past problems with the Texas Board of Health has told the family to move out of their home, a leading personal injury attorney from Houston has filed a law suit against all the natural gas drilling companies in the Allison area, including one that doesn't even drill in Wise County.
And of course, Dick Cheney's Haliburton was included because of fracting.
Just following Sharon Wilson's blog to keep up with this. Of course the blog also includes rants against Rick Perry and the Republican governor of Wisconsin.
I'm sure Daily Kos will even cover this. Wise County is in the news.
Barry, I would say they have publicity on their side in this law suit and we all know why they filed in in Dallas County and not here in Wise County. Dallas County is blue.
The Houston
Funny that a highlight of the article is regarding the fact that the family's attorney filed suit against a consulting firm by mistake.
And yeah, whomever mentioned 40 acres worth of cattle ranching... In this county you can't run many head at all on 40 acres. IMHO scraggly cows are 99.9% of the time the fault of bad cattle raisers.
WTF DID 3:50 SAY?
Barry would you represent me in a suit against Nike, the City of Decatur, the company who paved their streets, all the automotive companys who make cars that drive this street and all the people who drive on this street. I was out jogging in my nike shoes and tripped in a pothole, turned my ankle, scratched my elbow and blooded my nose and am now suffering much pain. I figure I can get something for my discomfort out of at least one of these mentioned.
The Fake Mrs. Parr
It's not about the money, and never has. Both the Parr's as well as my wife and I are staucnhly CONSERVATIVE. You apparently missed it dozens of times when we have said we are not opposed to drilling! We are opposed to being poisoned. The other part that's missing is that some operators are better than others- Aruba is the bottom of this list. They do sub standard work, use sub standard parts and hire sub standard labor. If i'm wrong about that, can someone explain why Aruba is out here on these sites virtually every weekend, with workover rigs, and contantly replacing pipe, gauges, turn wheels, thief hatches, etc?
Aruba's business model is to locate drill sites close to tax payer funded raods-which are more often than not, close to homes. I know of at least 6 homes that are within 300 feet of an Aruba operation. I've spoken to landmen, the guys who installed the pipeline and other men who work in the Industry, and all of them have said they have never seen drilling operations this close to homes.
Even the Chief Appraiser in Wise County stated in our property tax hearing (where our property was devalued from $300K to $78K in a 5-0 ruling) that in his 20+ years as an appraiser, he's never seen drilling operations this close to a home.
You also missed the part where there are no drilling operations on Parr's property. This is how you come up with it's "all about the money"? What money?
Until you have been out here and seen what damage has been done, you'll never have any real idea.
There have been numerous spills, leaks, and ongoing emissions. 2 enforcement actions, and hundreds of complaints. I guess it must be all in our head.
@ ruggiero: I understand your dislike considering your predicament but what makes you the expert on aruba's operations? are you a oil & gas operator or have any experience in oil and gas what so ever?
12:13 if you were making money off the wells I bet you would sing another tune. I live next to a By-pass hyw put in after My house was built do I need to sue for the trucks that come by??? My bet is you moved out in the country WITHOUT reading your deed you built ur home thinking we can stop them from drilling on your land.you are so wrong if yall think you can put a stop to it. I love my mail box money that comes in every month from my intrest in 3 wells. it sux to be yall.
Oil Field Trash and proud of it.
Dear Mr. Trash,
You might want to read this.
http://www.experts.scival.com/uab/pubDetail.asp?t=pm&id=8595496&n=Delzell%2C+Elizabeth+S&u_id=22
Bottom line, biggest problems in this industry are the ones who do not have minerals. I think it's sad that the state of tx does not make it mandentory that a partial of the minerals have to stay with the property. you'd find a lot less whining and health problems when people are getting something out of their property usage. funny thing is how come nobody else that's lived in that area alot longer is suffering from these things? Parr made a bad choice on where he built his home, now he's unhappy and wants someone else to pay for it. Sorry-ness at it's best!
You see alot of young people building homes with fancy pools and running a few head of cows that after a few months they find out they CANT pay for it so lets blame somebody for our missteak of building this we cant pay for it.
You people are so funneh. I wonder how many of these comments come from industry IP adresess.
As a matter of fact, I am an expert on Aruba's operations. They have been parked in my front yard and back yard for over a year and half, now. They come out virtually every weekend (funny how they never seem to have the time to fix their crap during the week)
I have piles upon piles of documentation-videos, pictures, environmental testing reports, TCEQ and TRC reports showing HUNDREDS of complaints and dozens upon dozens of violations on virtually every drill site they're on.
I have seen first hand the damage they have caused, as well as witnessed (and documented) their cover ups and sloppy workmanship.
The TCEQ has fined them $35,500 (so far) for violations. The TRC is taking enforcement action against them. The Attorney General has an active lawsuit against them. There are at least 3 active lawsuits agianst them so far.
I also find it funny-but very typical, that most of the people who see no problems are hiding behind 'anonymous' I wonder why that is? If you fail to see the dangers, and fully support drill rigs, compressor stations, condensate tanks, pipelines and constant truck traffic near homes,why are you so afraid to use your name?
I live at 415 Star Shell Rd in Decatur, and I will extend an open invitation to anyone who would like to come out and see this toxic waste zone (future superfund site) for themselves. In fact, you probably should before continuing to make such ignorant statements about how great it is.
For those who are collecting their 'mailbox money', I'm happy for you. Seriously. I would only ask you to see past your mailbox and see what the Industry is doing to the rest of us.
I'm not opposed to drilling, I'm opposed to being poisoned. How many of you who are getting 'paid' have a leaking condensate tank battery or leaking well heads 200-300 feet from your kid's bedrooms?
The mineral right owner knew up front that this was a dangerous business, and his exempting 50 acres around his home from drilling and pipelines as part of his lease agreement-200 feet for the rest of us, his 'neighbors' is proof enough of that.
Tim can you not read a deed before you sing on the dotted line?Dumb ass
Anonymous 2:33, Can you not spell sign, dumb ass. Oh and while I'm at it dumb ass, where in the deed does it say that a Aruba Petroleum has the right to poison families. I'm sorry, I missed that part. I think I get the part that they can take your land (with written notification) but do they get to pump diesel exhaust at your family, have blow outs during the casing installation, have bradenhead pressure issues, install leaking tanks next to your children and fix nothing until you complain to state authorities? I think that needs to be in the deed too. Perhaps it should say "You are getting ready to buy a piece of property for which you do not own the mineral rights. By signing (spelled correctly) here you are authorizing the poisoning of your family if the mineral right owner chooses a bottom feeder operator to extract his and her minerals. You will have no control over this so... good luck. You and your child(ren) may be exposed to carcinogens and nuerotoxins for brief or extended periods of time. That is up to the operator the mineral right owner chooses. You will have not say so you might want to pray now before signing that he and she have a soul, or at the very least put in some protection for their subserviant surface right owners. Though workmen and truck drivers visit the site daily, they will observe and report nothing. When you complain to state authorities regarding the violations, they will take action, but it will take year(s). For those super poor operators like Aruba, eventually the TCEQ will cite them for air violations, but they will tell you that they can't even shut down the leaking tanks 300 feet from your home. They will have to refer it to the Attorney General. That will take another year or so. Eventually, the Attorney General will sue Aruba Petroleum on behalf of the TCEQ but who knows what will become of that. All of this may happen 300 feet from our home. Sign here....."
Want to buy my house, or are you one that would buy my house and ignore the fumes because it "feeds your family".
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