Oil Company, Landowner Attorney Collaborate on Bill to Avoid Court Battles in North Dakota

(Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)

(By: Jeff Beach .North Dakota Monitor) – Bismarck attorney Derrick Braaten says clients have paid him millions of dollars for court battles against oil and gas company Continental Resources over surface damages in North Dakota.

But a conversation between Braaten and a lawyer representing Continental Resources could lead to fewer court battles, something Braaten says benefits the company and his clients.

A result of that conversation is Senate Bill 2335, which would add a mediation step in negotiations between mineral resource developers and landowners in an effort to resolve disputes without a lawsuit.

The bill has received support from Continental Resources, the North Dakota Petroleum Council and the Northwest Landowners Association, which Braaten represents.