Ohio Utica Shale Drilling Dispute Remanded to Lower Court

An Ohio oil drilling contract was ambiguous about whether the Utica Shale formation includes the Point Pleasant formation below Utica’s base, the state’s high court ruled Thursday, sending the dispute back to a lower court.

“We are not persuaded that the lease language clearly established that the Point Pleasant was or was not to be considered part of the Utica Shale,” the Ohio Supreme Court held in a 4-3 ruling. It’s up to a fact-finder to resolve the ambiguity in the contract, the opinion said.

The underlying dispute stems from contracts that Rice Drilling and Gulfport Energy have with TERA ...