Appeals Court Rules Against Hobbs, NM Residents In Oil Company Suit
By: Dylan Brooks
Updated: October 5, 2012
SANTA FE, NM -- New Mexico's Court of Appeals has ruled against several Hobbs, NM residents who sued Shell Oil Company and and Shell Western Exploration and Production Inc.
The court of appeals upheld a decision from the Lea County District Court not to grant a new trial for the plaintiffs -- after a Lea County jury ruled in favor of Shell in 2007.
The Hobbs residents claimed they got sick from environmental contamination from oil and natural gas production in an area on the southeast side of Hobbs.
Shell had oil storage tanks in the area from 1946 to 1993, and an unlined storage pit for oilfield wastes was buried in the area in the 1960s.
Housing development started in the area in the 1970s.
The court of appeals upheld a decision from the Lea County District Court not to grant a new trial for the plaintiffs -- after a Lea County jury ruled in favor of Shell in 2007.
The Hobbs residents claimed they got sick from environmental contamination from oil and natural gas production in an area on the southeast side of Hobbs.
Shell had oil storage tanks in the area from 1946 to 1993, and an unlined storage pit for oilfield wastes was buried in the area in the 1960s.
Housing development started in the area in the 1970s.
