PITTSBURGH – A new lawsuit in state court alleges that a natural gas company’s erroneous billing practices and its refusal to correct them have caused financial harm to a Valencia business owner.
Justin Goehring of Valencia filed suit in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas on Feb. 16 versus Peoples Natural Gas Company, LLC, of Pittsburgh.
In 2017, Goehring maintained a residential account with the defendant for the provision of natural gas services, for a property on the 400 block of Woodland Road in Pittsburgh.
“As a business owner, plaintiff receives and pays multiple personal and business-related utility bills in a given month, including gas bills. It is believed and therefore averred that Peoples sent billing statements for the residence to an incorrect and erroneous email address, an address not connected in any way to plaintiff. Plaintiff was unaware of any past due or delinquent bills from Peoples, until the delinquency appeared on his credit report through credit monitoring,” the suit states.
When he learned of the delinquency, Goehring reconciled it, he says. However, he says he later learned there were errors in the billing notification process and resolved to have the negative credit reports removed from his account. So far, his efforts in this regard have been met to no avail, the suit explains.
“As a direct result of Peoples’ failure to remove any negative reports concerning unpaid and/or delinquent utility payments, to which it has admitted, plaintiff’s credit has been damaged, his FICO score history has dropped, his ability to obtain financing at favorable rates has been diminished and his financial reputation has suffered damage. Despite demand made through numerous telephone calls from plaintiff that Peoples take corrective action and defendant’s representation that this negative erroneous information would be removed from plaintiff’s account history, Peoples has failed to correct and/or remove the billing and reporting errors that continue to harm plaintiff,” the suit reads.
For breach of contract, the plaintiff is seeking damages in an amount in excess of jurisdictional arbitration limits.
The plaintiff is represented by Jeffrey P. Myers and John A. Halley of Myers Law Group, in Warrendale.
Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas case GD-18-002318
From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nickpennrecord@gmail.com