PART II—OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings.
Our operations are subject to a variety of risks and disputes normally incident to our business. As a result, we may, at any given time, be a defendant in various legal proceedings and litigation arising in the ordinary course of business.
We maintain insurance policies with insurers in amounts and with coverage and deductibles that we, with the advice of our insurance advisors and brokers, believe are reasonable and prudent. We cannot, however, assure you that this insurance will be adequate to protect us from all material expenses related to potential future claims for personal and property damage or that these levels of insurance will be available in the future at economical prices.
Veolia
The Company is currently involved in a consolidated lawsuit with Veolia Water Technologies, Inc. (“Veolia”) relating to the Clearwater Facility.
On March 13, 2020, Antero Treatment, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, filed suit against Veolia in the district court of Denver County, Colorado, asserting claims of fraud, breach of contract and other related claims. Antero Treatment alleges that Veolia failed to meet its contractual obligations to design and build a “turnkey” wastewater disposal facility under a Design/Build Agreement dated August 18, 2015 (the “DBA”), and that Veolia fraudulently concealed certain miscalculations and design flaws during contract negotiations and continued to conceal and fraudulently misrepresent the impact of certain design changes post-execution of the DBA. On March 13, 2020, Veolia filed a separate suit against the Company, Antero Resources, and certain of the Company’s wholly owned subsidiaries (collectively, the “Antero Defendants”) in Denver County, Colorado. In its lawsuit, Veolia asserted breach of contract and equitable claims against the Antero Defendants for alleged failures under the DBA. Veolia’s suit was consolidated into the action filed by Antero Treatment.
Veolia and the Antero Defendants each filed partial motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment directed at certain claims asserted by the opposing party. A bench trial on the remaining claims was held from January 24 through February 10, 2022 and concluded on February 24, 2022. At trial, Antero Treatment sought damages from Veolia of $450 million, which represents the Company’s out-of-pocket costs associated with the Clearwater Facility project. In the alternative, Antero Treatment sought damages related to multiple breaches of the DBA, totaling $370 million. Also, at trial, Veolia sought monetary damages of $118 million, including alleged delay and extra-contractual costs and a contract balance relating to an allegation that Antero Defendants improperly terminated the DBA.
On January 3, 2023, the Court found that Antero Treatment had prevailed on its claims for breach of contract and fraud, and awarded $242 million in damages to Antero Treatment, plus pre- and post-judgment interest and reasonable costs and attorneys’ fees. The Court also found in Antero Defendants’ favor on all of Veolia’s affirmative claims. On January 27, 2023 the Court entered judgment in favor of Antero Treatment in the amount of $309 million in damages, which includes pre-judgment interest. Antero was also awarded costs and attorneys’ fees, the amount of which will be determined in separate proceedings. On April 10, 2023, the Court issued an order identifying an error in its previously entered judgment and reduced the damages award by $27 million. The Court has not yet entered an amended judgment, which, once entered, will be subject to appeal.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
We are subject to certain risks and hazards due to the nature of the business activities we conduct. For a discussion of these risks, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in the 2022 Form 10-K. There have been no material changes to the risks described in such report. We may experience additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us. Furthermore, as a result of developments occurring in the future, conditions that we currently deem to be immaterial may also materially and adversely affect us.