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Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2025
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
Legal and Regulatory Proceedings

In the ordinary course of business, various legal and regulatory claims and proceedings are pending or threatened against the Company. While the amounts claimed may be substantial, the Company is unable to predict with certainty the ultimate outcome of such claims and proceedings.

The Company evaluates its legal proceedings, including litigation and regulatory and governmental investigations and inquiries, on a regular basis and accrues a loss for such matters when the Company believes that it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. In such cases, if some amount within a range of loss appears to be a better estimate than any other amount within the range, that amount is accrued; however, when no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other amount, the minimum amount in the range is accrued. Any such accruals are adjusted thereafter as appropriate to reflect changed circumstances. In the event the Company determines that (i) it is probable that a liability has been incurred but the amount of the loss cannot be reasonably estimated, or (ii) it is less than probable but reasonably possible that a liability has been incurred, then the Company may be required to disclose the matter in its Annual Report on Form 10-K with any update thereto in an applicable Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, although the Company is not permitted to accrue for such loss.

When able, the Company determines an estimate of reasonably possible losses or ranges of reasonably possible losses, whether in excess of any related accrued loss or where there is no accrued loss, for legal proceedings. In instances where such estimates can be made, any such estimates are based on the Company's analysis of currently available information and are subject to significant judgment and a variety of assumptions and uncertainties and may change as new information is obtained.
The ultimate outcome of the matters described or referenced below is inherently uncertain. Furthermore, due to the inherent subjectivity of the assessments and unpredictability of outcomes of legal proceedings, any amounts accrued or estimated as possible losses may not represent the ultimate loss to the Company from the legal proceedings in question and the Company's exposure and ultimate losses may be higher, and possibly significantly so, than the amounts accrued or estimated.

Securities Class Action Litigation. On December 6, 2019, an amended putative class action complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania by Cambridge Retirement System, Government of Guam Retirement Fund, Northeast Carpenters Annuity Fund, and Northeast Carpenters Pension Fund, on behalf of themselves and all those similarly situated, against EQT and certain former executives and current and former board members of EQT (the Securities Class Action). The complaint alleges that certain statements made by EQT regarding its merger with Rice Energy Inc. in 2017 were materially false and violated various federal securities laws. Pursuant to the complaint, the plaintiffs seek compensatory or rescissory damages in an unspecified amount for all damages allegedly sustained by the class as a result of alleged negative impacts to EQT's common stock price in 2018 and 2019.

Additionally, following the filing of the Securities Class Action complaint, several other lawsuits were filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania by certain shareholders of EQT against EQT and certain former executives and current and former board members of EQT asserting substantially the same allegations as those raised in the Securities Class Action. These matters are currently pending, and the majority of them were stayed pending a ruling on dispositive motions in the Securities Class Action, and have remained stayed. The settlement of the Securities Class Action referred to below does not resolve these matters.

Following the commencement of the Securities Class Action, the parties engaged in fact and expert discovery. In June 2024, the discovery phase of the Securities Class Action was completed. On June 27, 2024, the parties to the Securities Class Action participated in a mediation (the June 2024 Mediation), which did not result in resolution. In the second quarter of 2024, the Company recorded an accrual for estimated loss contingencies related to the Securities Class Action in an amount equal to the settlement offer the Company tendered at the June 2024 Mediation of $17.5 million.

Following the June 2024 Mediation, the parties filed various motions, including motions for summary judgment and motions to exclude expert testimony. While these motions remained pending, on May 12, 2025, the parties to the Securities Class Action participated in a second mediation, at which it was agreed that the Company would pay $167.5 million to the plaintiffs to settle the Securities Class Action. The settlement does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing or liability by the Company or the other defendants, who have agreed to the settlement to avoid further protracted and expensive litigation. The parties filed a motion for preliminary approval of the settlement agreement and that motion was granted. The final fairness and approval hearing is scheduled for October 30, 2025.

In the second quarter of 2025, the Company recorded an increase to its accrual for estimated loss contingencies related to the Securities Class Action of $150.0 million, resulting in a total reserve equal to the settlement amount agreed upon at the May 12, 2025 mediation of $167.5 million. During the third quarter of 2025, the Company paid the settlement amount in full and received insurance recoveries of approximately $16 million.

See Note 15 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 for additional discussion of the Company's commitments and contingencies, including certain other pending legal and regulatory proceedings and other contingent matters. As of September 30, 2025, except as disclosed herein, there have been no material changes to such matters disclose therein.