The Michigan attorney general's office says Chesapeake Energy has been ordered to stand trial in a racketeering case that accuses it of leasing land to thwart competitors and then canceling the deals when the competition ended.
A probable cause hearing in the criminal case against the Oklahoma City-based company took place in August in Cheboygan District Court. Attorney General Bill Schuette on Tuesday announced the judge's decision, which had been expected in a written opinion.
The Associated Press sent a message seeking comment from a Chesapeake spokesman.
Schuette filed charges including racketeering and false pretenses over land deals in the northern Lower Peninsula.
A Dec. 2 trial is scheduled in a separate antitrust case that accuses Chesapeake of rigging bids at a 2010 state oil and gas lease auction.
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