The Grissoms, LLC v. Antero Resources Corporation
United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio
Case No. 2:25-00349
1. What is a class action settlement?
A class action settlement is an agreement between the parties to resolve and end the case. Settlements can provide money to class members and changes
2. Why is there a settlement in this lawsuit?
The parties agreed to settle, which means they have reached an agreement to resolve the lawsuit. Both sides want to avoid the risk and expense of further litigation.
3. What happens next in this lawsuit?
The Court will hold a Fairness hearing to decide whether to approve the settlement. The hearing will be held at:
Where: Courtroom 311, Joseph P. Kinneary U.S. Courthouse, 85 Marconi Boulevard, Columbus, Ohio 43215,
When: 1:30 p.m. on August 4, 2026.
Because the settlement of a class action decides the rights of all members of the proposed class, the Court must give final approval to the settlement before it can take effect. Payments will only be made if the Court approves the settlement.
You don’t have to attend, but you may at your own expense. You may also ask the Court for permission to speak and express your opinion about the settlement. If the Court does not approve the settlement or the parties decide to end it, it will be void and the lawsuit will continue. The date of the hearing may change without a mailing notice to members of the class, but any changes to the date will be posted on this website.
4. What does the settlement provide?
The settlement pays each class member a share of the settlement according to a calculation intended to pay each class member according to their prorated share of deductions at issue. More details regarding this calculation may be found in the Settlement Agreement on the Important Documents tab of this website. Class members also will receive relief from future deductions of these costs, which Antero ceased as of April 2025 production, absent a change in governing law or precedent or other cause.
Class members will “release” their claims related to Antero’s payment of royalties, including its deduction of processing and fractionation costs during production months June 2023 through March 2025. This means that class members cannot sue Antero for these payments in a separate lawsuit. Class members also will ratify Antero’s ability to adjust royalties for permissible costs consistent with the law governing your lease, including for gas and NGL transportation costs and volumetric adjustments for gas not sold. The full terms of the release can be found in the Settlement Agreement on the Important Documents tab of this website.
5. How do I know if I am part of this settlement?
You are a class member entitled to money if you:
executed a lease with Antero for mineral interests underlying an Antero-owned horizontal well in the Seneca System from which streams of raw liquids-rich natural gas can be extracted,
which lease contains the following Gas and Market Enhancement Clause:
Market Enhancement Clause. It is agreed between the Lessor and Lessee that, notwithstanding any language contained in A) and B) above, to the contrary, all royalties or other proceeds accruing to the Lessor under this lease or by state law shall be without deduction directly or indirectly, for the cost of producing, gathering, storing, separating, treating, dehydrating, compressing, processing, transporting, and marketing the oil, gas and other products produced hereunder to transform the product into marketable form; however, any such costs which result in enhancing the value of the marketable oil, gas or other products to receive a better price may be proportionally deducted from Lessor’s share of production so long as they are based on Lessee’s actual cost of such enhancements. However, in no event shall Lessor receive a price per unit that is less than the price per unit received by Lessee.
received royalty payments from Antero for production from their mineral interests after May 2023; and
were a class member (or are a successor to a class member) in the earlier Grissoms lawsuit (The Grissoms, LLC v. Antero, 2:20-cv-02028).
This is a different lawsuit from the prior lawsuit based on similar claims to the ones asserted there. You can also contact the attorneys for this case to determine if you were a class member in the prior lawsuit.
6. How much will my payment be?
Your payment will be calculated according to the formula described in the settlement agreement. In short, you will receive a share of the lawsuit determined by the amount of deductions for processing and fractionation costs Antero made from your royalties.
You do not need to do anything to receive this payment. A check will be mailed to you if the settlement is approved and becomes final.
7. How do I get a payment if I am a class member?
If you are a class member, you do not need to do anything to receive this payment. You will receive a check if the settlement is approved.
8.Do I have a lawyer in this lawsuit?
In a class action, the court appoints class representatives and lawyers to work on the case and represent the interests of all the class members. For this settlement, the Court has appointed the following individuals and lawyers.
Your lawyers:
Logan Trombley
Mendenhall Law Group
190 N. Union St., Suite 201
Akron, OH 44304
(330) 535-9160
John Barrett
Brian Swiger
Victor Woods
Bailey & Glasser LLP
209 Capitol St.
Charleston, WV 25301
(304) 345-6555
If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense.
9. Do I have to pay the lawyers in this lawsuit?
Lawyers' fees and costs will be paid from the Settlement Fund. You will not have to pay the lawyers directly.
To date, your lawyers have not been paid any money for their work or the expenses that they have paid for the case. To pay for some of their time and risk in bringing this case without any guarantee of payment unless they were successful, your lawyers will request, as part of the final approval of this Settlement, that the Court approve a payment of up to $376,333.33 total in attorneys’ fees (i.e., 1/3 of the $1.129 million settlement) plus the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses.
Lawyers' fees and expenses will only be awarded if approved by the Court as a fair and reasonable amount. You have the right to object to the lawyers' fees even if you think the settlement terms are fair. Your lawyers will also ask the Court to approve a payment of $1,000 to the Class Representative for the time and effort contributed to the case. If approved by the Court, this will be paid from the Settlement Fund.
10. What if I don't want to be part of this settlement?
You can opt out. If you do, you will not receive payment and cannot object to the settlement. However, you will not be bound or affected by anything that happens in this lawsuit and may be able to file your own case. You cannot exclude yourself from the program changes called for by the proposed settlement.
11. How do I opt out?
To opt out of the settlement, you must complete the opt out form and mail it by July 20, 2026 to the Settlement Administrator at:
David W. Epperly
Epperly Re: Solutions
P.O. Box 673
Charleston, West Virginia 25323
Telephone: (304) 397-5588
Be sure to include your name, address, telephone number, and signature.
12. What if I disagree with the settlement?
If you disagree with any part of the settlement (including the lawyers' fees) but don’t want to opt out, you may object. You must give reasons why you think the Court should not approve it and say whether your objection applies to just you, a part of the class, or the entire class. The Court will consider your views. The Court can only approve or deny the settlement — it cannot change the terms of the settlement. You may, but don’t need to, hire your own lawyer to help you.
To object, you must send a letter to the Settlement Administrator that:
is postmarked by July 20, 2026;
includes the case name and number (The Grissoms, LLC v. Antero Resources Corporation, Case No. 2:25-00349)
includes your full name, address and telephone number, and email address (if you have one);
states the reasons for your objection;
says whether either you or your lawyer intend to appear at the final approval hearing and your lawyer's name;
your signature.
Mail the letter to:
David W. Epperly
Epperly Re: Solutions
P.O. Box 673
Charleston, West Virginia 25323
Telephone: (304) 397-5588
13. What are the consequences of doing nothing?
If you do nothing, you will still get your share of the settlement, but you will also be bound by the settlement and its “release” provisions. That means you won’t be able to start, continue, or be part of any other lawsuit against Antero about the issues in this case. A full description of the claims and persons who will be released if this settlement is approved can be found in the Settlement Agreement on the Important Documents tab of this website.
14. How do I get more information?
The complete settlement with all its terms can be found here. To get a copy of the settlement agreement or get answers to your questions:
contact your lawyer (see Key Parties and Contacts page)
visit the FAQ and Important Documents tabs of this website
access the Court’s PACER online or by visiting the Clerk’s office of the Court (address below).
Resource
Contact Information
Case website
Settlement Administrator
David W. Epperly
Epperly Re: Solutions
P.O. Box 673
Charleston, West Virginia 25323
Telephone: (304) 397-5588
Your Lawyers
Logan Trombley
Mendenhall Law Group
190 N. Union St., Suite 201
Akron, OH 44304
(330) 535-9160
John Barrett
Brian Swiger
Victor Woods
Bailey & Glasser LLP
209 Capitol St.
Charleston, WV 25301
(304) 345-6555
Court
United States District Court,
Southern District of Ohio
Joseph P. Kinneary U.S. Courthouse,
85 Marconi Boulevard,
Columbus, Ohio 43215
(614) 719-3000