← Back to HGTXU filing summaryThis is the extracted source text from the SEC filing. Formatting may differ from the original document.
As previously disclosed, XTO Energy advised the Trustee that it reached a settlement with the plaintiffs in the Chieftain class action royalty case. Based on the final plan of allocation approved by the court, XTO Energy advised the Trustee that it believes approximately $24.3 million in additional production costs should be allocated to the Trust. On May 2, 2018, the Trustee submitted a demand for arbitration seeking a declaratory judgment that the Chieftain settlement is not a production cost and that XTO Energy is prohibited from charging the settlement as a production cost under the conveyance or otherwise reducing the Trust’s payments now or in the future as a result of the Chieftain litigation (the "Chieftain Claim").
On January 20, 2021, the arbitration panel issued its Corrected Interim Final Award (i) “reject[ing] the Trust’s contention that XTO [Energy] has no right under the Conveyance to charge the Trust with amounts XTO [Energy] paid under section 1.18(a)(i) as royalty obligations to settle the Chieftain litigation” and (ii) stating “[t]he next phase will determine how much of the Chieftain settlement can be so charged, if any of it can be, in the exercise of the right found by the Panel.” Following briefing by both parties, on May 18, 2021, the Panel issued its second interim final award over the amount of XTO Energy’s settlement in the Chieftain class action lawsuit that can be charged to the Trust as a production cost.
In the arbitration, the Trustee also disputed certain amounts related to the computation of the Trust’s net proceeds for 2014 through 2019 and 2021 (the “Overhead Claims”).
On June 18, 2024, the Trustee and XTO Energy entered into a Settlement Agreement to resolve the pending arbitration. Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, effective as of June 1, 2024, XTO Energy and the Trustee agreed:
• that the value of the Chieftain Claim, with interest, to the benefit of XTO Energy is stipulated to be $18,105,467 (net to the Trust);
• that the value of the Overhead Claims, with interest, to the benefit of the Trust is stipulated to be $17,275,086 (net to the Trust);
• that the stipulated value of the Chieftain Claim and the Overhead Claims would be offset against one another, on a cumulative basis and without respect to which conveyance the particular claim arose, leaving a balance, to the benefit of XTO Energy of $830,381 (net to the Trust), which balance shall be treated as a production cost under the Oklahoma conveyance, and subject to the recoupment and interest charges under that conveyance; and
19
Table of Contents
• that XTO Energy will provide the Trust a one-time advance distribution of $500,000 (net to the Trust), that can be treated as a production cost, except that it can be recouped, together with interest, from what would otherwise be distributable net profits under any of the three conveyances; provided, however that XTO Energy shall only be entitled to withhold distributions of net proceeds as recoupment to the extent that such recoupment does not leave the Trust with less than $250,000 of available cash.
The Trustee used the $500,000 advance distribution to partially replenish the Trust’s cash expense reserve in June 2024. The $830,381 balance due to XTO Energy was recorded as a production cost in third quarter 2024.
Additionally, the Settlement Agreement provided that XTO Energy would modify certain accounting practices with respect to the Overhead Claims effective as of June 1, 2024.
Other Lawsuits and Governmental Proceedings
Certain of the underlying properties are involved in various other lawsuits and governmental proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. XTO Energy and Mach have each advised the Trustee that, based on the information available at this stage of the various proceedings, it does not believe that the ultimate resolution of these claims will have a material effect on the financial position or liquidity of the Trust, but may have an effect on annual distributable income.