HOUSTON, Feb. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A Chambers County woman has filed a proposed
class action lawsuit against Griddy, alleging that the Texas power supplier engaged in unlawful price
gouging during last week's statewide winter storm and power
outages.
Lisa Khoury, a Mont Belvieu resident, claims her electricity
bill from February 13 to February 19
totaled $9,340, as Griddy began
making withdrawals from her bank account daily. Ms. Khoury says her
normal monthly bill averages between $200 and $250, and
repeatedly tried to reach the company with concerns about the
withdrawals but got no response, eventually placing a stop-payment
order on her bank account.
According to the filing in state district court in Harris County, Ms. Khoury and her husband
mostly were without power in their home from February 17 to February 18. Ms. Khoury hosted her
parents and in-laws, who are in their 80s, during the storm. Even
then, she continued to minimize her household's power usage because
of her fear of high electricity prices.
Ms. Khoury says she began attempting to switch providers as
early as February 15 but was only
able to change providers on February
19 after persistent contact with other electricity
providers.
The proposed class includes all Texas residents who used electricity services
from Griddy and were hit with excessive charges resulting from the
storm.
"At this point we don't know how many people might be affected,
but there are likely thousands of customers who've received these
outrageous bills," says Derek Potts
of the Potts Law Firm in Houston,
who represents Ms. Khoury. "A class action will be the most
efficient and effective way for Griddy's customers to come together
and fight this predatory pricing."
The lawsuit alleges violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade
Practices Act among other claims. It seeks an injunction to prevent
Griddy from billing and collecting payment for excessive prices and
demands the forgiving of any late or unpaid bills from customers.
Ms. Khoury and all other members of the class are seeking monetary
relief of more than $1 billion.
Griddy's business model offers customers a wholesale rate plan
designed to save money during fair-weather months when residents
are unlikely to be turning on heating or cooling systems. The
wholesale rate before the winter storm was around $50 per megawatt/hour, but the state's Public
Utility Commission raised that cap during the winter storm, with
resulting rates soaring to more than $9,000 per megawatt/hour.
The lawsuit is Lisa Khoury v.
Griddy Energy LLC, No. 2021-10004 filed in the 133rd District
Court of Harris County,
Texas.
Media Contact:
Barry Pound
800-559-4534
barry@androvett.com
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SOURCE Potts Law Firm