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Commitments and Contingencies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2025
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
Contractual Obligations
The Company has various contractual obligations in the normal course of its operations. There have been no material changes to the Company’s contractual obligations described under “Gathering, Processing and Transportation Agreements” and “Lease Commitments” as disclosed in Note 8 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the Form 10-K.
Legal Matters
Securities Litigation
In October 2020, a stockholder derivative action styled Ezell v. Dinges, et. al. (U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania) was filed against Messrs. Dinges and Schroeder and the Board of Directors of the Company serving at that time. Several additional derivative complaints were also filed and have been consolidated with the Ezell lawsuit, which was later transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The most recent consolidated amended derivative complaint asserted claims for alleged securities violations under Section 10(b) and Section 21D of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as well as claims based on alleged breaches of fiduciary duty and statutory contribution theories. In January 2024, the court issued an order and final judgment granting the Company’s and defendants’ motion to dismiss and dismissing the consolidated derivative case in its entirety with prejudice. The derivative plaintiffs filed a notice of appeal regarding the final judgment in February 2024, with oral arguments heard by the Fifth Court of Appeals on February 3, 2025. The Company intends to vigorously defend any further proceedings in the derivative lawsuit.
In March 2024, one of the plaintiffs in the above consolidated derivative action served a demand letter on the Company’s current Board of Directors. The letter demanded that the Board of Directors pursue legal claims against various current and former officers and directors of the Company based on similar factual allegations as contained in the corresponding securities class action (that was settled in late 2024) and consolidated stockholder derivative action described above. In June 2024, the individual who made the demand filed a stockholder derivative lawsuit styled Fischer v. Dinges et. al. (U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas). The Board of Directors formed a committee to advise it in addressing each of the demands and the lawsuit. In April 2025, the committee advised counsel for the stockholders, who served the demand letters, that it had concluded its investigation, that it had determined that pursuing the claims asserted in the demands would not serve the Company’s interests, and that the committee was therefore rejecting the demands. The Company intends to move for dismissal of the Fischer action based on the committee’s determination.
Other Legal Matters
The Company is a defendant in various other legal proceedings arising in the normal course of business. While the outcome and impact of these legal proceedings on the Company cannot be predicted with certainty, management believes that
the resolution of these proceedings will not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Contingency Reserves
When deemed necessary, the Company establishes reserves for certain legal proceedings. All known liabilities for legal matters are accrued when management determines they are probable and the potential loss is estimable. The establishment of a reserve is based on an estimation process that includes the advice of legal counsel and subjective judgment of management. While management believes these reserves to be adequate, it is reasonably possible that the Company could incur additional losses with respect to those matters for which reserves have been established. The Company believes that any such amount above the amounts accrued would not be material to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. Future changes in facts and circumstances not currently known or foreseeable could result in the actual liability exceeding the estimated ranges of loss and amounts accrued.