Stephanie Hallowich, H/W, v. Range Resources Corporation

Stephanie Hallowich and Chris Hallowich, H/W, v. Range Resources Corporation, Williams Gas/Laurel Mountain Midstream, MarkWest Energy Partners, L.P., MarkWest Energy Group, L.L.C., and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection was a legal matter adjudicated in 2011 by the Court of Common Pleas in Washington County, Pennsylvania.

The Hallowich couple managed agricultural operations in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania. They initiated litigation against Range Resources Corporation, Williams Gas/Laurel Mountain Midstream, MarkWest Energy entities, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to obtain damages for adverse health effects and environmental harm attributed to natural gas extraction activities.

As part of the settlement, the plaintiffs received $750,000 from the proceeds of selling their property to facilitate relocation. A condition of the agreement required the family, including their two minor children, to abstain from public commentary concerning hydraulic fracturing or the Marcellus Shale formation. Legal representation for the Hallowich family was provided by Peter M. Villari, Esq. and Robert N. Wilkey, Esq. of Villari, Brandes, Kline, P.C., a litigation firm headquartered in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.

This case garnered considerable attention due to its implications for First Amendment protections relating to confidentiality clauses and gag orders within the natural gas sector. On March 20, 2011, Judge Debbie O'Dell-Senaca reversed a previous decision by ordering that settlement records be made public. Although defendants sought appellate review to maintain confidentiality, ultimately these documents were reinstated as part of the public court record.

External links

• Stephanie Hallowich and Chris Hallowich v. Range Resources Corporation et al., Court Opinion
• Hallowich Unsealed Court Documents
• Analysis of First Amendment Issues in the Hallowich Case