Occidental Petroleum Is Told to Pay $30...

Occidental Petroleum Is Told to Pay $30 Million: A federal jury in Oklahoma City agreed with a group of independent oil and gas producers who argued that the Los Angeles-based energy firm interfered with their business. After a three-week trial, the jury ordered Occidental’s Oxy USA Inc. subsidiary to pay $269,000 in compensatory damages and $30 million in punitive damages to Continental Trend Resources Inc. and others for blocking access to natural gas pipelines, interfering with existing gas contracts and misrepresentation. Oxy vowed to seek a reversal of the punitive damages, which it called “out of line.”