RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A federal magistrate judge recommended class-action status Wednesday for thousands of landowners in southwest Virginia who contend two energy companies cheated them out of tens of millions of dollars in royalty payments for natural gas they extracted from their properties.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Pamela Meade Sargent’s recommendation now goes to a district judge in Abingdon for the final judgment on the proposed class action.