North Dakota landowners win court order for attorney fees

A North Dakota court ordered the state to pay nearly $975,000 in legal costs to landowners who challenged a state law allowing the use of underground pore space without owners’ consent. The ruling awarded about $429,000 in attorney fees to lead plaintiff Kurt Swenson and other landowners opposing Summit Carbon Solutions’ carbon‑storage project.

Separately, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case involving North Dakota rancher Leonard Hoffmann and neighbors who were offered below‑market compensation when a private pipeline company, WBI Energy Transmission, seized their land under eminent‑domain authority. The dispute centers on whether landowners can recover the legal expenses incurred defending their property rights, a decision that could affect compensation standards for pipeline projects nationwide.