Pennsylvania families win $4.24M verdict against gas driller

Cosby prosecutor fights predecessor's bid for case file

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) — The Latest on a jury's multimillion-dollar verdict against a Pennsylvania gas driller (all times local): 2:25 p.m. One of the largest gas drillers in Pennsylvania says it will appeal a $4.24 million jury verdict that found the company polluted the well water of two families. Houston-based based Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. said Thursday the jury's verdict "disregards overwhelming scientific and factual evidence" that it conducted itself properly in the small village of Dimock. The verdict comes at the end of a long-running federal lawsuit pitting homeowners against Cabot. Dimock was the scene of the most highly publicized case of methane contamination to emerge from the early days of Pennsylvania's natural-gas drilling boom. State regulators blamed faulty gas wells drilled by Cabot for leaking combustible methane into Dimock's groundwater. Cabot claimed the methane was naturally occurring. Dimock's plight was featured in the Emmy-winning 2010 documentary "Gasland." ___ 12:05 p.m. A federal jury has awarded two couples nearly $4.25 million after finding one of the largest natural gas drillers in Pennsylvania polluted their well water. The verdict Thursday comes at the end of a bitter and long-running federal lawsuit pitting homeowners in the village of Dimock against Houston-based Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. Dimock was the scene of the most highly publicized case of methane contamination to emerge from the early days of Pennsylvania's natural-gas drilling boom. State regulators blamed faulty gas wells drilled by Cabot for leaking combustible methane into Dimock's groundwater. Cabot claimed the methane was naturally occurring. The rural community became a national battleground in environmental activists' fight against fracking, and its plight was featured in the Emmy-winning 2010 documentary "Gasland."

The Latest: Gas driller to appeal $4.24 million verdict