N. D. landowners sue pipeline developer

BISMARCK, N. D. — A group of about two dozen North Dakota landowners is suing the developer of the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline, accusing it of deceit and fraud in acquiring land easements.

Already, landowners in Iowa await a state judge’s ruling in another easement case regarding the $ 3.8 billion, four- state pipeline. Other court battles are playing out in federal court in North Dakota and Washington, D. C.

The Morton County landowners in the lawsuit, filed this month in U. S. District Court, are seeking more than $ 4 million in damages from Dakota Access LLC, a subsidiary of Texas- based Energy Transfer Partners. The parent company contends the allegations “are without merit,” company spokesman Vicki Granado said.

The landowners who are suing represent only about 3 percent of the 800 North Dakota landowners who provided easements to Dakota Access, according to Granado.

— The Associated Press