Halliburton, ProFrac settle lawsuits over fracking technology
16/08/2024 17:39
By Blake Brittain
Aug 16 (Reuters) - Oilfield technology rivals
Halliburton HAL.N and ProFrac ACDC.O have resolved a pair of
U.S. lawsuits over electric fracking technology, according to
filings in Texas federal court.
Halliburton and ProFrac unit U.S. Well Services told the
court on Thursday that they had reached a settlement in
principle and asked to pause two cases while they finalized it.
Details of the settlement were not included in the court
filings, and attorneys and spokespeople for the companies did
not immediately respond to requests for comment and more
information.
U.S. Well fended off some of Halliburton's patent
infringement allegations at trial last year. A second trial on
related Halliburton patents was set to begin later this month.
Electric fracking, or e-frac, uses electricity from natural
gas or power grids to drive pumps instead of diesel fuel. Oil
and gas companies have been adopting the technology in efforts
to reduce the carbon emissions created by fracking.
Houston-based Halliburton said in its lawsuit, filed in
2022, that U.S. Well's e-frac equipment and services infringed
several Halliburton patents covering e-frac technology.
Halliburton sued following a U.S. Well patent lawsuit from
2021 over Halliburton's e-frac fleet. U.S. Well's patents from
that case have since been declared invalid.
ProFrac, a Willow Park, Texas-based oilfield services
company backed by billionaires Dan and Farris Wilks, bought
Houston-based U.S. Well in 2022.
The cases are Halliburton Energy Services Inc v. U.S. Well
Services LLC, U.S. District Court for the Western District of
Texas, Nos. 6:21-cv-00367 and 6:22-cv-00905.
For Halliburton: Roger Fulghum, Michael Hawes, Lindsay Cutie
and Susan Kennedy of Baker Botts; David Tobin and Syed Fareed of
McDermott Will & Emery
For U.S. Well: Tom Melsheimer, Chad Walker, Rex Mann,
Jervonne Newsome, Danielle Williams and Brian Nisbet of Winston
& Strawn
Read more:
U.S. Well Services files e-frac patent lawsuit against
Halliburton, Cimarex Energy
Halliburton says patent ruling derails U.S. Well lawsuit
over fracking technology
ProFrac unit defeats Halliburton patent lawsuit over
electric fracking tech at trial
(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington)
((blake.brittain@tr.com; +1 (202) 938-5713;))