A judge has barred a Texas-based attorney from contacting Chesapeake Energy Corp. royalty owners about a proposed $119 million settlement covering the company's natural gas wells in Oklahoma.
The Oklahoman reports that District Judge Jon K. Parsley issued a temporarily restraining order last week against attorney Dan McDonald, citing that his "advertising" campaign would disrupt the time between when the settlement is certified and the expiration period to opt out of or object to the settlement.
McDonald has been sending letters to the royalty owners asking them to opt out of the class-action lawsuit and use his firm as representation.
His law firm, which has filed dozens of lawsuits on behalf of royalty owners, runs a website called RoyaltyRipoff.com. McDonald believes that the $119 million settlement deal is unfair to the Chesapeake royalty owners.
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