PHILADELPHIA - A couple are suing the city of Philadelphia and a gas company, alleging unfair billing practices.
Kevin and Tawana Washington filed a lawsuit July 6 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Philadelphia Gas Works and the City of Philadelphia, alleging violation of due process, negligence and abuse of process.
According to the filing, in August 2013, the couple received a shutoff notice from the gas company and despite paying $700 to avoid termination, the gas company shut off service and later said the couple needed to pay a higher amount.
The suit says the gas company has a practice of terminating gas services without notice and falsely claiming settlement agreements with customers, which does not allow them to have a fair hearing to restore services.
The Washingtons seeks damages of more than $75,000 as well as court costs and attorney fees. They are represented by attorneys Matthew Weisberg and David Berlin of Weisberg Law in Morton.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania case number 2:15-cv-03745-CMR.