Judge: Plaintiffs Failed To Support RICO, Antitrust Claims Over Fracking Leases

( October 1, 2026, 4:37 PM EDT) -- WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — A federal judge in Pennsylvania dismissed with prejudice two consolidated complaints involving hydraulic fracturing lease disputes, holding that the plaintiff lessors’ claims of antitrust and racketeering violations fail because they did not adequately allege that reduced royalties were connected to competitive harm or the existence of a coordinated scheme....