< back to news

Lawsuit: Former Employee Operated Kickback Scheme

Firm attorneys Daniel Charest and Will Thompson have filed a lawsuit on behalf of energy exploration and production company Antero Resources Corp., alleging that a former operations superintendent ran an “egregious bribery kickback scheme” that cost the company hundreds of millions in damages.

Antero alleges John Kawcak, took significant kickbacks from a series of companies run by Tommy Robertson. In exchange, the lawsuit claims that Kawcak steered contracts to Robertson’s companies, giving them a monopoly over Antero’s West Virginia operations and allowing them to avoid negative consequences for “demonstrably deficient work.”

Antero says it lost tens if not hundreds of millions because of Kawcak’s actions, and is suing him for direct damages, disgorgement of any benefit he earned from the alleged scheme, and disgorgement of salary, bonuses and stock interests paid to him during his employment.

The case is Antero Resources Corp. v. Kawcak, No. 236-298822-18, in the District Court of Tarrant County, Texas.