Antero Resources is suing a Morgantown contractor hired to build a roughly five-mile section of gas and water lines in Doddridge County for breach of contract, saying its workers failed to complete the work as required.
The suit, filed Nov. 7 in U.S. District Court at Clarksburg, suggests Performance Pipeline LLC lacked manpower and equipment to do the job properly.
Performance Pipeline, represented by Lonnie Simmons of Di Trapano Barrett & Di Piero in Charleston, declined comment Nov. 13, pointing out the papers hadn't been officially served.
But officials with Antero, based in Colorado, said the company terminated its contract with the Morgantown company in August, about six months after issuing Pipeline Performance notice to proceed with construction of a 27,500-foot section of gas and water lines for its Mountain Pipeline project.
Antero alleges the Morgantown company lacked the equipment and trained personnel to do the job properly, "and the work was of poor quality, requiring Antero to hire additional contractors to complete the work and make repairs for which Antero incurred costs of approximately $1,519.000." The suit claims the defendant's "workmanship and negligence caused pipe joints to slide off their transport, causing damage" and caused a piece of heavy equipment to roll over, "causing the project to shut down."
Antero said its Master Construction Services Agreement with Performance Pipeline stipulates that in the event of termination, they are liable only for work satisfactorily performed and that
it, in turn, is liable for any costs incurred to complete the work.
They're seeking $1,195,653 to cover the repairs, plus another $1.8 million for lost production.
Antero, represented by Eric J. Hulett and W. Henry Lawrence of Steptoe & Johnson, declined comment.
