Gregory J. Krock

Greg served as lead counsel in Butler v. Powers, a landmark case in which the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the state's "Dunham Rule" and preserved thousands of leases in the Marcellus Shale region. Since this victory, Greg has represented oil and gas companies in virtually all aspects of the industry: lease, toxic tort and insurance disputes involving Pennsylvania wells; pipeline disputes in West Virginia and Ohio; class action royalty and pipeline disputes in Wyoming; injunction matters in Texas involving offshore platforms and wells; and commodities trading lawsuits in New York and Texas.

Greg is a sought-after speaker on oil and gas developments in the Appalachian region. He has been recognized by Chambers USA and Legal 500 United States as a leading energy litigator.

In addition to his energy practice, Greg represents corporate clients embroiled in complex financial, contract, trade secret, technology and shareholder disputes. He also assists in matters involving First Amendment issues faced by public transit agencies.

• Secured a defense verdict on behalf of the operator of a natural gas gathering system in a trial involving the purported failure to remit almost $10 million in additional consideration under a series of right-of-way agreements. The Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed the victory.
• Obtained an emergency writ of prohibition to prevent an Ohio trial court from improperly exercising jurisdiction over a class action involving the operation of a natural gas pipeline.
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a West Virginia operator to recover the costs of repairing a natural gas pipeline damaged by an excavating company.
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of the operator under a joint operating agreement in a lawsuit filed by the non-operator seeking to recover $8 million in damages for the refusal to complete an allegedly profitable well. The trial court awarded the operator more than $1 million in counsel fees.
• Defended a natural gas producer in a class action involving the purported failure to pay statutory interest under the state's royalty payment act.
• Defended a Wyoming natural gas producer against claims that it improperly deducted certain costs from payments to royalty and overriding royalty owners.
• Obtained a defense verdict in an arbitration in which the plaintiff sought to recover approximately $8 million in damages arising from an oil and gas company's alleged bad-faith unitization.
• Represented an oil producer in an arbitration involving the calculation of working interest payments associated with wells in North Dakota.
• Defended a natural gas producer in an alleged price manipulation and fiduciary duty lawsuit in West Virginia.
• Represented an oilfield service company in multiple lawsuits involving the construction of the Mariner East Pipeline in Pennsylvania.
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of drilling service companies in a toxic tort action involving the alleged release of hydraulic fracturing chemicals.
• Obtained a defense verdict on behalf of an international commodities trading company in a three-day trial involving a multi-million dollar dispute. The trial involved issues of first impression regarding the cancellation of book transfers in the petroleum industry.
• Obtained a $220 million verdict in a five-week jury trial involving a breach of contract and fraudulent misrepresentation associated with the coal, coke, and steel industry. The verdict, which included $100 million in punitive damages, was reported by the National Law Journal's VerdictSearch to be the seventh-largest jury verdict in 2007.
• Obtained a defense verdict in a landowner's lawsuit to cancel and oil and gas lease for failure to timely remit delay rentals.
• Defended an electric utility in several multi-million dollar lawsuits arising out of contact with overhead power lines.

COMMERCIAL LITIGATION EXPERIENCE

• Obtained the dismissal of a lawsuit involving the alleged breach of a simple agreement for future equity in conjunction with a crypto mining company.
• Defended a public transit agency in a First Amendment dispute in which employees argued that the agency's uniform policy violated their free speech rights.
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of an automobile dealership in a multimillion dollar breach of contract lawsuit arising out of the termination of an asset purchase agreement. The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed the summary judgment.
• Filed amicus briefs with the US Supreme Court and US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in support of a public transit agency's right to reject proposed advertisements on their vehicles.
• Obtained a non-jury verdict on behalf of a national roofing company to recover money converted by its joint venture partner.
• Defended an international accounting firm in a professional negligence action brought by the producer of coke for use in the steelmaking process. The two-week jury trial involved novel issues surrounding the monetization of tax credits available for unconventional fuels.
• Defended a transit company in First Amendment actions arising out of its advertising policy.

TRADE SECRET AND RESTRICIVE COVENANT EXPERIENCE

• Defended a long-term care pharmacy in an injunction dispute with its joint venture partner regarding the alleged violation of a restrictive covenant. Represented an international manufacturer of conveyor-belt products to enforce its restrictive covenant with a former employer and protect its trade secrets.
• Defended an oil and gas company in a trade secret dispute involving a water tracking system.
• Prosecuted trade secret and restrictive covenant claims against sales personnel in the commercia roofing industry.
• Defended an engineering firm against trade secret and unfair competition claims involving control systems used in pipeline operations.
• Prosecuted trade secret and restrictive covenant claims involving medical x–rays and digital imaging.