Pete Flores finally said enough is enough. He told 17 news on the phone that his utility bills now cost more than his house payment. So he's taking his case against PG&E to court.
Among other claims, the lawsuit accuses PG&E of negligence, fraud and deceit, false advertisement, and says the company is violating the unfair competition law. Behind it all...one Bakersfield man who is representing thousands of Californians who want to sue the utilities company.
The class action lawsuit starts here. This is Pete Flores's SmartMeter. He is the only named plaintiff in the case but hundreds of others have come forward saying PG&E is ripping them off. Flores' lawyer expects thousands with documented PG&E problems to come forward. "We're asking those people to contact us and give us copies of their bills and show us what their facts and allegations are because we're a law firm trying to compete against a very very large public utility who has taken the position that there is absolutely no problem here at all."
Jennifer Yester contacted the firm Friday...but she's not stopping there. I'm printing out lots of copies that I'm going to be handing out to every person who walks into my business, every employee, every family member. I will fill them out for them, I will fax them for them I will email them...whatever I can do to help generate more people participating in the lawsuit.
In January, Yester spent fourteen hundred dollars installing new screen doors... purchased expensive black out blinds to keep cooling costs down... and invested thousands in energy efficient appliances.... only to find her bill soar to 900 dollars.
PG&E released a statement regarding the lawsuit. Spokesman Denny Boyles said in part. "PG&E stands behind its SmartMeter program. The allegations in the lawsuit are untrue and have no merit." Boyles went on to say the company "plans to bring in an independent party to review meter accuracy..." and said the SmartMeter program "will be recognized as an important customer tool to help them control power usage and costs."
If you want to join the civil lawsuit against PG&E, you can email Attorney Michael Kelly personally at... m-l-k at courtroom warrior dot com., or call the law office at 310-536-1000. You can also find all this information in the PG&E story on our website.
Kelly says a hearing date for the case will be set within the next two to four weeks. The case will be heard at the Kern County Superior Court.
