CHARLESTON — Two West Virginia corporations are suing Pinnacle Mining Company LLC and Target Drilling Inc., mining and gas extraction operators, citing alleged breach of duty.
Bluestone Coal Corporation and Double-Bonus Mining Company filed a complaint on July 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia Charleston Division against the defendants, alleging that they negligently and intentionally deviated from the approved drilling plan.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs allege that Bluestone Coal Corporation and Double-Bonus Mining Company were forced to abandon all underground mining operations, causing them to suffer losses and damages equal to or in excess of $80 million. The plaintiffs hold the defendants responsible because they allegedly were aware that the drilling of a borehole had penetrated through one or more underground aquifers or water sources, failed to notify the plaintiffs or the Mine Safety and Health Administration of the material change of the drilling and cementing plan, and failed to seek the plaintiffs' consent to their activities.
The plaintiffs request a trial by jury and seek judgment against the defendants, jointly and severally, for punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, costs and such other relief as the court may deems appropriate. They are represented by R. Scott Long, Esquire and David F. Nelson of Hendrickson & Long PLLC in Charleston.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia Charleston Division Case number 2:16-cv-06098