United States Tenth Circuit

Dismissal of Plaintiff's qui tam complaint accusing Defendant natural gas companies of underpaying royalties to the government is affirmed, where the District Court lacked jurisdiction over the action because the complaint's allegations were based on public information of which Plaintiff was not the source.

Appellate Information

• Decided 03/17/2009
• Published 03/17/2009

Judges

• McKAY, Circuit Judge., Before MURPHY, McKAY, and McCONNELL, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Tenth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Jeffrey A. Chase (Elizabeth L. Harris with him on the briefs), Jacobs Chase Frick Kleinkopf & Kelley, LLC, Denver, CO, for Relator-Appellant.


• For Appellees:
  
• L. Poe Leggette, Fulbright & Jaworski, LLP, Washington, D.C. (Donald I. Shultz, Holland & Hart LLP, Cheyenne, WY, and Nancy L. Pell and Laura S. Morton, Fulbright & Jaworski, LLP, Washington, D.C., with him on the brief), and Michael L. Beatty (Rebecca H. Noecker with him on the brief), Beatty & Wozniak, PC, Denver, CO, for Coordinated Defendants-Appellees., Michael L. Beatty and Rebecca H. Noecker, Beatty & Wozniak, PC, Denver, CO, for Defendants-Appellees KN Energy, et al., Elizabeth A. Phelan, Holland & Hart, LLP, Boulder, CO, and Donald I. Shultz, Holland & Hart, LLP, Cheyenne, WY, for Defendants-Appellees Questar Corporation, et al., Charles D. Tetrault, Vinson & Elkins, LLP, Washington, D.C., for Defendant-Appellee Transwestern Pipeline Company, LLC., Michael L. Beatty and Rebecca H. Noecker, Beatty & Wozniak, PC, Denver, CO, for Defendant-Appellee TransColorado Gas Transmission Company., Kevin D. Evans, Steese & Evans, PC, Denver, CO, for Defendant-Appellee Public Service Company of Colorado., Robin F. Fields and Charles B. Williams, Connor & Winters LLP, Oklahoma City, OK, for Defendants-Appellees Enogex, OG & E, and Cross Timbers., Lawrence G. McBride, Foley & Lardner, LLP, Washington, D.C., for Defendant-Appellee Blue Dolphin Pipe Line Company., Michael L. Beatty and Rebecca H. Noecker, Beatty & Wozniak, PC, Denver, CO, for Defendant-Appellee Apache Corporation., Robert Salcido, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, Washington, D.C., and Daniel M. McClure and Laura S. Morton, Fulbright & Jaworski LLP, Houston, TX, for Defendants-Appellees Shell, Mobil, and Exxon., William D. Wood, Graig J. Alvarez, Fulbright & Jaworski, Houston, TX, for Defendant-Appellees Evangeline Gas Pipeline Co., Evangeline Gas Corp., Acadian Gas LLC, Tejas-Magnolia Energy LLC, Leviathan Pipeline Partners, LP, Viosca Knoll Gathering Co. LLC, Manta Ray Gathering Co. LLC, and Pontchartrain Natural Gas System.