A Houston company sued by Attorney General Gentner Drummond alleging fraud related to historically high natural gas prices during Winter Storm Yuri in 2021 is asking an Osage County judge to transfer the case to Texas.

Symmetry Energy Solutions, LLC believes the lawsuit filed in April on behalf of the Grand River Dam Authority should not be heard in Osage County.

“Symmetry files this response to explain why venue in Osage County is inappropriate and why this court must dismiss all causes of action other than breach of contract,” the Texas natural gas company’s lawyers wrote.

In a filing last week with Osage County District Court and Judge Stuart Tate, the Houston-based company argued that the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s statement was clear: “Venue for actions against foreign corporations … is limited to those counties in which the plaintiff either resides, the cause of action arose, the corporation has its principal place of business or property, or where the corporation has an agent who can serve subpoenas or other process.”

Symmetry’s lawyers accuse Osage County of not being one of them and accused the attorney general of “failing to comply with this law.”

“Osage County has nothing to do with this dispute — not at all. And the Attorney General has certainly not explained why the citizens of Osage County should bear the costs of litigation between residents of Mayes and Tulsa counties or why witnesses from those counties should travel to Osage County,” the attorneys continued.

They also claim that the Attorney General’s lawsuit is not time-barred, even though he claims otherwise.

“The state is not exempt from the statute of limitations,” the lawyers said in their complaint, adding: “The Attorney General must follow the rules.”

Symmetry denies taking actions to reduce public supply during the storm by storing gas instead of selling it and increasing the price of gas to the GRDA.

Drummond filed two lawsuits accusing subsidiaries of Enable and Symmetry Energy Solutions of manipulating their natural gas supplies to drive up prices before and during the storm that hit the state.

Drummond’s lawsuit accused both companies of making billions in profits through their “wrongful conduct.” Symmetry supplied natural gas to GRDA, a publicly owned utility that serves customers in 24 counties.