Long Island Superstorm Sandy Lawsuit Could Reach Class Action Status

According to CBS New York, a case in Long Island could make history as the nation’s first class action lawsuit against a public utility company for storm-related power outages.

The network reported that nearly 1 million customers of the former Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) are suing the company over losing their power following Superstorm Sandy.

The case is being handled before a judge in Nassau County. Among the plaintiffs, Laura Brennan, of Oceanside, said the LIPA had no disaster plan. “Where was their disaster plan?” Brennan told CBS. “They had no disaster plan, and we all suffered.”

Brennan is among more than 900,000 customers who could recoup damages if her lawsuit is granted class action status. The LIPA has asked the judge to dismiss the case, because there was no common cause for the outages.

According to CBS, thousands of residents were without power for weeks following Sandy. The LIPA delivered a response to the lawsuit, saying, “Storms happen, outages happen, customers get upset and hire lawyers who create class action suits. These are individual disputes that cannot be looked at as one case.”

The plaintiffs claim that the LIPA was negligent and that money paid to the LIPA in fees was suppose to go to maintenance, in case a storm hit.

What is a Class Action Lawsuit?

If the plaintiffs involved in this case can prove that LIPA’s alleged negligence affected thousands of customers, it is possible that this case could reach class action status. A class action lawsuit is a representative case in which one or many individuals sustained damages in similar situations and sue on behalf of themselves and all others who have been injured by the acts of a defendant.

If you have suffered because of the negligence of company or organization and you think your case could reach class action status, please contact Gary S. Graifman, Esq., toll free at (866) 971-0927 to schedule a free initial consultation or complete the form on this page to let our skilled attorneys review your case.

Kantrowitz, Goldhamer, Graifman, Perlmutter & Carballo, P.C. – Class Action Lawyers

Source: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/01/28/customers-hit-by-sandy-fight-for-class-action-status-in-suit-against-lipa/