Pacific Coast Oil Trust

08/13/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/13/2025 09:22

Material Event (Form 8-K)

Item 8.01 Other Events.

The following is provided in response to the August 4, 2025 letter to The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (the "Trustee") of Pacific Coast Oil Trust (the "Trust"), from a unitholder of the Trust (the "Unitholder Letter"), which was filed as an exhibit to Amendment No. 11 to such unitholder's Schedule 13D filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 4, 2025.

In the Unitholder Letter, the unitholder urges the Trustee to make a full disclosure on Form 8-K of certain purported well count discrepancies identified by the unitholder and to bring suit against Pacific Coast Energy Company LP ("PCEC"), the operator of the oil and natural gas producing properties in which the Trust holds net profits and royalty interests.

The Trust previously addressed the unitholder's claimed well count discrepancies in its Form 8-K filed on November 12, 2024.

In the Trust's Form 8-K filed on July 17, 2025 (the "July 17 Form 8-K") to report the resignation of Pannell Kerr Forster of Texas, P.C. ("PKF") as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Trust, the Trust noted that PKF had advised the Trust that PKF had not received certain documentation it requested from PCEC supporting the accounting for the asset retirement obligations ("ARO") estimated by PCEC, in particular the evidence supporting the well count used to develop the ARO estimate contained in the Trust's Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended, effective May 2, 2012, which may affect other analysis supporting the valuation of the underlying properties and may materially impact the fairness or reliability of the Trust's financial statements. The Trustee has requested this information from PCEC and will analyze it with the assistance of experts once received.

With regard to the unitholder urging the Trustee to initiate legal action against PCEC, the Trustee will, as it has always done, exercise the authority granted under Article III of the Trust Agreement, including the authority to prosecute claims of the Trust, as in the Trustee's judgment is necessary, desirable or advisable to best achieve the purposes and powers of the Trust.

The Unitholder Letter also makes reference to a statement in the July 17 Form 8-K regarding the Trustee's retention of "appropriate legal and accounting experts to conduct an investigation." As disclosed in the July 17 Form 8-K, this statement was referring to the Trustee's independent investigation of the relevant allegations made by a former employee of PCEC in a complaint filed with the SEC and in a federal civil lawsuit against PCEC.

Pacific Coast Oil Trust published this content on August 13, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Edgar on August 13, 2025 at 15:22 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]