Judgment in Favor of Brandy Overcash
CESW partner Justin L. Williams and Pagel Weikum partner Jeff Weikum tried the case of Overcash vs. Jones Contractors, Inc. et al in Federal District Court in Bismarck, North Dakota, from Monday, December 5, 2016 until closing arguments and submission to the jury Friday, December 10, 2016. The jury returned a special verdict on December 12. […]
CASE UPDATES FOR AUGUST 2016
Decker v. I. E. Miller; Simmons v. CUDD Energy Services, Inc., et. al. COLE, EASLEY, SCIBA & WILLIAMS and PAGEL WEIKUM keep the pressure on big oil with a week of hearings on two large cases. Partners Justin L. Williams and Jeff Weikum will be in Federal Court in Bismarck and State Court in Williston […]
Justin Williams Quoted in Bakken Politico Article
CESW partner Justin Willams was quoted in a June Politico article about the dangers Bakken oil field workers face every day. The investigative article, titled ‘Workers Are Paying for Cheap Gas With Their Lives’ can be found here. An excerpt: On average, someone dies about every six weeks from an accident in the Bakken—at least […]
Power struggle: The perilous price of America’s energy boom
Jeff Weikum, our North Dakota partner, and Justin L. Williams of Cole, Easley, Sciba & Williams were interviewed for over 4 hours for the print, radio and TV versions of this story. Cole, Easley, Sciba & Williams and Pagel Weikum are committed to making the Bakken and all oil fields safer for workers and their […]
Cole, Cole & Easley and Pagel Weikum Case Makes Front Page of New York Times
Cole, Easley, Sciba & Williams and Pagel Weikum settled the Andrew Rohr case during the second day of trial. The case, which involved the burn in jury of Plaintiff Andy Rohr caused by a blow-out, received national attention when it was featured in a front page story in the New York Times. Asked if they […]
Bakken Oil Field Truckers not in North Dakota “for the Scenery”
The Star Tribune’s Maya Rao offers a great look into Bakken oil field truckers hauling heavy. An interesting excerpt: “You have to go heavy just to keep up with the wells,” said Jesse Scheffler, who once got a $3,000 ticket for driving a truck that was 20,000 pounds overweight. “We didn’t come to North Dakota […]
Case Against Continental and Consulting Company Plaster & Wald Set for Trial – *Updated*
A North Dakota Judge has set an injured Cyclone Drilling employee’s case against Continental Resources and their consulting company, Plaster & Wald, for trial on September 22, 2014. Most oil and gas injury and burn cases filed in North Dakota over the years have been settled. In this case, the worker represented by Cole, Easley, Sciba […]
Why Do Blowouts Occur?
Literally thousands of oil and gas wells are drilled in the United States and around the world, and only a “few” blowouts or explosions occur each year. Why is the industry able to drill so many wells safely, and what happens on those occasions where a well does blow-out? First, “safe drilling practices” have resulted […]
Rise in Oil Field Injuries
In 2006 almost half a million people in the United States worked in jobs related to the oil & gas industry and another 400,000 workers were employed in drilling on both offshore and land drilling and work-over rigs. The growth of the oil and gas industry has correlated with an increase in the rates of […]
What Causes a Blow-Out When Drilling an Oil or Gas Well?
Thousands of oil and gas wells are drilled in the United States, offshore or overseas every year. Despite the fact that most are drilled into “high-pressure” zones of hydrocarbons, almost no blow-outs or explosions occur during drilling operations. What causes the blow-outs or explosions that do occur? The first thing to consider when thinking about […]
