Give the man credit, he knows how to take initiative.
Seen at I-10 and Sawyer
The Buzbee Law Firm, representing a cohort of Houston restaurants, is filing a class action lawsuit against CenterPoint Energy.
Attorney Tony Buzzbee released a statement on social media, stating the case makes claims of CenterPoint’s negligence and violations of the law. All of the restaurants suing lost power during Hurricane Beryl, and they are “fed up,” the statement reads.
The lawsuit will make a case that CenterPoint failed to invest in its infrastructure for years, maintain and upgrade equipment, and adequately train personnel, among other issues. Further, Buzbee asserts, CenterPoint has a monopoly by not giving residents a choice in their energy provider.
“As such, CenterPoint has a duty to act in a reasonable manner, not the grossly negligent and incompetent way it has conducted itself for years. Imagine, if the restaurants filing this case were to conduct their businesses in the way that CenterPoint has done, these restaurants would be out of business,” Buzbee said in his statement.
He states that the case is not about money, but about “forcing CenterPoint in court to do what the administrative, legislative and executive system has failed to require.”
Here’s an earlier version of the story, which includes an embed of the Instagram post. It’s not clear at this time who the plaintiffs are – neither story mentions any – or what laws Buzbee is claiming CenterPoint may have violated. My understanding is that as a utility CenterPoint is a legal monopoly, so forgive me if I’m a little skeptical of this. I can believe there’s a potential winning lawsuit against CenterPoint. I’m not sure this is it, but I Am Not A Lawyer, so take that for what it’s worth. Click2Houston has more.
Tony ‘Anything For A Headline’ Buzbee…
I mean, any publicly held company with a public responsibility that cares more about enriching their shareholders than their responsibilities is incentivized to do this. They’re just like insurance companies; they make money when they cut corners and provide the bare minimum service required by law, so they have a reason to let transformers rust and trees grow on their infrastructure, especially when I have little doubt that Abbott’s PUC is going to rake us over the coals instead and make us pay them for their negligence. Until Centerpoint’s feet are held to the fire by some means, be it legislative or judicial, this is going to keep happening. Buzbee and Eric Dick (who I’m sure will show up soon) are ambulance chasers of the worst sort, but if that’s what it takes for someone to do something, fine.
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