Austin Energy, ERCOT sued over winter storm death
Thursday, September 9, 2021 by Jo Clifton
A woman whose mother died during February’s winter storm has filed suit against Austin Energy and the state’s electric grid operator, Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Colinda Meza is seeking $1 million in damages and claims gross negligence on the part of the utility and ERCOT. Austin Energy cut off power to its customers for as long as four days after ERCOT ordered it to do so. Both entities are likely to claim sovereign immunity in response to the lawsuit and any others that might be filed. A divided Texas Supreme Court declined to issue an opinion on whether ERCOT was immune in a case filed by a company earlier this year. That case has not yet returned to the Supreme Court.
Join Your Friends and Neighbors
We're a nonprofit news organization, and we put our service to you above all else. That will never change. But public-service journalism requires community support from readers like you. Will you join your friends and neighbors to support our work and mission?
