The tower would supply water to a nearby fraccing site, which the plaintiffs argued would cause too much noise and traffic from hauling the water from the tower to the drilling site.

A lawyer representing Tillerson, Michael Whitten, told the Wall Street Journal that it was not the noise or traffic that bothered him.

"I have other clients who were concerned about the potential for noise and traffic problems, but he's never expressed that to me or anyone else," he said.

An Exxon spokeman told the publication that the company had no involvement in the legal matter and that the directors were not told of Tillerson's participation.

Other issues raised by the suit include whether a water utility had to obey local zoning ordinances and the rights of residents who relied on such laws in making multi-million dollar property investments.

The paper reports that the latter point was the focus of Tillerson's comments on the issue at a council meeting late last year.