Frequently Asked Questions
The Court has directed the issuance of the Notice to inform potential Class Members about the Litigation and the proposed Settlement and their options in connection therewith before the Court rules on the Settlement. Additionally, Class Members have the right to understand how this class action lawsuit may generally affect their legal rights.
The Notice explains the class action lawsuit, the Settlement, Class Members’ legal rights in connection with the Settlement, what benefits are available, who is eligible for them, and how to get them.
The Court has not decided in favor of Defendants or Lead Plaintiffs. Instead, both sides agreed to the Settlement to avoid the distraction, costs, and risks of further litigation, and Lead Plaintiffs agreed to the Settlement in order to ensure that Class Members will receive compensation. Defendants have denied, and continue to deny, each and all of the claims alleged by Lead Plaintiffs and any allegations of wrongdoing, liability, or damages.
If there were no settlement and Lead Plaintiffs failed to establish any essential legal or factual element of their claims against Defendants, neither Lead Plaintiffs nor the other Members of the Class would recover anything from Defendants. Also, if Defendants proved any of their defenses at summary judgment, trial, or on appeal, the Class could recover substantially less than the amount provided in the Settlement, or nothing at all.
The Court directed that everyone who fits this description is a Class Member: All Persons who purchased or otherwise acquired Anadarko common stock between February 20, 2015, and May 2, 2017, inclusive, and were allegedly harmed thereby.
Please Note: Receipt of the Notice or the Postcard Notice does not mean that you are a Class Member or that you will be entitled to receive a payment from the Settlement. If you are a Class Member and you wish to be eligible to participate in the distribution of proceeds from the Settlement, you are required to submit a Proof of Claim and the required supporting documentation as set forth therein, postmarked or submitted online on or before January 21, 2027.
Excluded from the Class are: Defendants and their families, legal representatives, heirs, successors, or assigns; officers, directors, subsidiaries, and affiliates of Anadarko during the Class Period; any entity in which Defendants have a controlling interest; and any judicial officer to which the Litigation is assigned. Also excluded from the Class is any Person who properly excludes himself, herself, itself, or themselves from the Class by submitting a valid and timely request for exclusion.
The Settlement provides that, in exchange for the release of the Released Plaintiffs’ Claims and dismissal of the Litigation, Defendants and/or their insurance carriers on behalf of Defendants have agreed to pay or cause to be paid $114.5 million in cash to be distributed after taxes, tax expenses, notice and claims administration expenses, and Court-approved attorneys’ fees and expenses, pro rata, to Class Members who send in a valid Proof of Claim pursuant to the Court-approved Plan of Allocation. The Plan of Allocation is described in more detail at the end of the Notice.
Your share of the Net Settlement Fund will depend on several things, including the total dollar amount of claims represented by the valid Proofs of Claim that Class Members submit, compared to the dollar amount of your claim, all as calculated under the Plan of Allocation set forth on pages 8 through 11 in the Notice.
To be eligible to receive a payment from the Settlement, you must submit a Proof of Claim. A Proof of Claim may be downloaded from the "Notice and Claim Form" tab of this website. Read the instructions contained in the Proof of Claim carefully, fill out the Proof of Claim, include all the documents the form asks for, sign it, and mail it to (Anadarko Securities Settlement, Claims Administrator, c/o Verita Global, P.O. Box 301135, Los Angeles, CA 90030-1135) or submit it online from the "File Claim" tab above so that it is postmarked (mail) or received (online) no later than January 21, 2027.
The Court will hold a Settlement Hearing on January 14, 2027, at 10:00 a.m., to decide whether to approve the Settlement. If the Court approves the Settlement, there might be appeals. It is always uncertain whether appeals can be resolved, and if so, how long it will take to resolve them. It also takes time for all the Proofs of Claim to be processed. Please be patient.
To exclude yourself from the Class and the Settlement, you must send a letter by First-Class Mail stating that you “request exclusion from the Class in the Anadarko Securities Settlement.” Your letter must include your purchases or other acquisitions of Anadarko common stock during the Class Period, including the dates and number of shares of Anadarko common stock purchased, acquired, or sold, and the price paid for each such purchase or acquisition and received for each such sale. In addition, you must include your name, address, email address, telephone number, and your signature. You must mail your exclusion request so that it is postmarked or received no later than December 24, 2026, to:
Anadarko Securities Settlement
Claims Administrator
c/o Verita Global
EXCLUSIONS
P.O. Box 5100
Larkspur, CA 94977-5100
If you ask to be excluded, you will not get any payment from the Settlement, and you cannot object to the Settlement. You will not be legally bound by anything that happens in this lawsuit, and you may be able to sue Defendants and the other Released Defendant Parties about the Released Plaintiffs’ Claims in the future, if such claims are not time-barred.
No. Unless you exclude yourself from the Class, you give up any rights you may potentially have to sue the Defendants and the other Released Defendant Parties for any and all Released Plaintiffs’ Claims. If you have a pending lawsuit against any of the Released Defendant Parties, speak to your lawyer in that case immediately. You must exclude yourself from the Class in this Litigation to continue your own lawsuit. Remember, the exclusion deadline is December 24, 2026.
No. If you exclude yourself from the Class, you should not send in a Proof of Claim to ask for any money from the Settlement. But you may have the right to potentially sue or be part of a different lawsuit against Defendants and/or the Released Defendant Parties.
If you are a Class Member, you can comment on or object to the proposed Settlement, the proposed Plan of Allocation, and/or Lead Counsel’s fee and expense application. You can write to the Court setting out your comment or objection. The Court will consider your views. To comment or object, you must send a signed letter saying that you wish to comment on or object to the proposed Settlement in the Anadarko Securities Litigation. Include your name, address, email address, telephone number, and your signature (even if you are represented by counsel), identify the date(s), price(s), and number of shares purchased, acquired, or sold of Anadarko common stock during the Class Period, and state with specificity your comments or the reasons why you object to the Settlement, Plan of Allocation, and/or fee and expense application, including any legal and evidentiary support for such objection. Any objection must state whether it applies only to the objector, to a specific subset of the Class, or to the entire Class. In addition, the objector must identify all class action settlements to which the objector or his, her, or its counsel have previously objected. You must also include copies of documents demonstrating your purchases, other acquisitions, and/or sales of Anadarko common stock during the Class Period. Your comments or objection must be filed with the Court and mailed or delivered to each of the following addresses such that it is received no later than December 24, 2026:
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COURT |
LEAD COUNSEL |
DEFENDANTS’ COUNSEL |
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CLERK OF THE COURT |
ROBBINS GELLER RUDMAN
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CRAVATH, SWAINE & |
If you do nothing, you will not receive any money from this Settlement. In addition, unless you exclude yourself from the Class, you will not be able to start a lawsuit, continue with a lawsuit, or be part of any other lawsuit against the Defendants and the other Released Defendant Parties about the Released Plaintiffs’ Claims in this case.
The Court ordered that the law firm of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP represents the Class Members, including you. These lawyers are called Lead Counsel. If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense.
Objecting is simply telling the Court that you do not like something about the Settlement. You can object only if you stay in the Class.
Excluding yourself is telling the Court that you do not want to recover money and do not want to release any claims you think you may have against Defendants and the other Released Defendant Parties. If you exclude yourself from the Class, you cannot object to the Settlement because it does not affect you.
The Court will hold a Settlement Hearing at 10:00 a.m., on January 14, 2027, in the Courtroom of the Honorable Charles R. Eskridge III, at the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Bob Casey United States Courthouse, 515 Rusk Street, Houston, TX 77002. At the hearing, the Court will consider whether the Settlement and the Plan of Allocation are fair, reasonable, and adequate. If there are objections, the Court will consider them, even if the objectors do not ask to speak at the hearing. The Court will listen to people who have asked to speak at the hearing. The Court may also decide the amount of attorneys’ fees and expenses to award Lead Counsel and Plaintiffs. At or after the Settlement Hearing, the Court will decide whether to approve the Settlement and the Plan of Allocation. We do not know how long these decisions will take. You should be aware that the Court may change the date, time, and location of the Settlement Hearing without another notice being sent to Class Members.
No. Lead Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have. But you are welcome to come at your own expense. If you are a Class Member and send an objection, you do not have to come to Court to talk about it. As long as you are a Class Member and mailed your complete written objection on time, the Court will consider it. You may also pay your own lawyer to attend the hearing, but it is not necessary. Class Members do not need to appear at the hearing or take any other action to indicate their approval.
We are unable to advise regarding claim eligibility prior to receiving and processing a Proof of Claim submission. We cannot be more specific than the information which has been included in the Notice and cannot interpret how the Notice or Plan of Allocation may apply to a specific claim prior to processing.
Please read the Notice and Class definition carefully and decide whether or not you wish to submit a Proof of Claim. If you are still not certain of eligibility and want us to determine eligibility, you will need to submit a Proof of Claim, along with supporting documentation, for your transactions.
We do not hold stock records here. Verita Global is a third-party administrator appointed by the Court to notify potential claimants. We are provided with names and addresses of potential claimants in order to notify individuals of settlements but do not have access to your investment records. We recommend you contact the institution where you held your shares and request proof or supporting documentation for your claim.
You must provide copies of broker information or other documentation of your transactions in Anadarko common stock as attachments to your claim. If any such documents are not in your possession, please obtain a copy or equivalent documents from your broker because these documents are necessary to prove and process your claim. Failure to provide this documentation could delay verification of your claim or result in rejection of your claim.
Email is not an acceptable submission method, and claims submitted via email will not be reviewed for eligibility. You must submit your claim via the online form under the "File Claim" tab of this website or mail it to the Claims Administrator so that it is postmarked or received no later than January 21, 2027:
Anadarko Securities Settlement
Claims Administrator
c/o Verita Global
P.O. Box 301135
Los Angeles, CA 90030-1135
If submitting via the online form, there is a link on this website that allows a claimant to complete the Proof of Claim. The link is found on the “File Claim” tab. Note that the online link may be disabled at any time after the filing deadline, and you will only be able to submit via mail to the address above.
One Proof of Claim should be submitted for each separate legal entity. Separate Proofs of Claim should be submitted for each separate legal entity (e.g., a claim from joint owners should not include separate transactions of just one of the joint owners, and an individual should not combine his or her IRA transactions with transactions made solely in the individual’s name). Conversely, a single Proof of Claim should be submitted on behalf of one legal entity, including all transactions made by that entity on one Proof of Claim, no matter how many separate accounts that entity has (e.g., a corporation with multiple brokerage accounts should include all transactions made in all accounts on one Proof of Claim).
When filing on behalf of a deceased beneficial owner or their estate, you can submit a claim in the name of the individual, or, if an estate exists, you can submit on behalf of the estate. Note that any settlement proceeds will be made payable to the estate if that is how you submit that claim. The same rule applies for IRA's and other account types. The claim submission should include a copy of the death certificate as well as proof of authority to file. As you are submitting a claim form as a representative on behalf of someone else (e.g., as an executor, administrator, trustee, or other representative), you must document your authority to file on their (or their estate’s) behalf. Proof of authority can include a copy of the Last Will and Testament, Letters Testamentary, evidence of probate, proof of authority as executor or beneficiary and/or any other testamentary provisions of the deceased person. Do not send originals, as any documents submitted with your claim will not be returned.
Depending on whether you submit on behalf of the individual or on behalf of the estate, please provide the appropriate TIN or SSN. Then sign the claim form. The claim must be submitted for the benefit of the actual beneficial owner/purchaser of the shares or their estate. Do not submit the claim in the name of the deceased person’s family or other heirs. We must issue the check to the actual beneficial owner/purchaser of the shares. We cannot issue any applicable check in the name of the deceased person’s family, beneficiaries or other heirs.
If you have any corrections or changes to your name or address, please send them via email to the Claims Administrator at [email protected] or by mail at:
Anadarko Securities Settlement
Claims Administrator
c/o Verita Global
P.O. Box 301135
Los Angeles, CA 90030-1135
For even more detailed information concerning the matters involved in this Litigation, you can obtain answers to common questions regarding the proposed Settlement by contacting the Claims Administrator toll-free at 1-888-808-2809 or by email at [email protected]. Reference is also made to the Stipulation, to the pleadings in support of the Settlement, to the Orders entered by the Court, and to the other settlement-related papers filed in the Litigation, which are posted to this website under the "Court Documents" tab above, and which may be inspected at the Office of the Clerk of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, during regular business hours. For a fee, all papers filed in this Litigation are available at www.pacer.gov.