Lawsuits about Smart Meters

Summary of Selected Smart Meter Lawsuits

Lawsuits claim faulty PG&E Smart Meters started house fires

https://abc30.com/pge-smart-meters-house-fires-lawsuit/2657513/

It can happen in a flash. Fiery videos posted to YouTube by several homeowners show fires they blame on smart meters. Jose Valdez does not have the video of the fire at his Firebaugh home in September 2015, but he thinks this is basically what happened. The fire spread across his driveway and back towards the bedrooms in his home.

He noticed several PG&E employees got there almost as quickly, and he says one of them removed the smart meter while the firefighters worked. Firebaugh’s fire chief saw it too.

Other Lawsuits

This information was obtained with permission from smartmeterlawsuits.blogspot.com. It is in the process of being updated- please bear with us and if you have any information to add please e-mail us.

CASES WON:

HEALTH —Southern California Edison
Plantiff claimed negative health effects after smart meter was installed (Legal Documents).
SUCCESS!!! The judge ordered the Utilities company pay for health damages or remove the meter! (Settlement Documents

Privacy, Constitutional Violations, Security Risks–Kauai, Hawaii
Adam Asquith filed for a Federal Injunction against the instillation of smart meters (Court Filing DocumentsNews Story.
SUCCESS!  The Utilities Company offered a settlement (Settlement Document) and agreed NOT to install a smart meter on the plaintiff’s property. (News report)

DISCRIMINATION Kauai, Hawaii
Mark Naea, a neighbor of Adam Asquith (who won his case against smart meters) filed a formal complaint (Legal Document) that he should not have to pay the court fees and file a separate case to get the opt-out option that was court awarded to his neighbor.
SUCCESS!!! The Public Utilities Commission ordered (Legal Document) Kauai Island Utility Cooperative(KIUC) to address  his complaint.

HEALTH, SAFETY, PRIVACY, PROPERTY RIGHTS, CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATION, DISCRIMINATION —Maine
A legal complaint objecting to multiple aspects of smart meters. Overview
SUCCESS!!  The court ruled that the Utilities company DID NOT adequately address health and safety concerns and now must do so. Bangor Daily News

Update 6/4/15: After a 3 year PUC investigation into the health and safety of smart meters following the Supreme Court remand mentioned previously, the Commission ruled smart meters were basically safe enough. There was no vote held by the two commissioners and one of them recognized RF could probably cause adverse health effects and thought no cost opt outs [using a smart meter with transmitter disabled] should be available when suggested by a physician. Because the opinion made little sense and Central Maine Power never met their statutory burden to show safety was ensured with smart meters, opponents have appealed the decision, once more to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. At this point, appellants brief has been filed, appellee’s brief is due June 30th and then opponents have 14 days to file a response. After this, oral arguments will be scheduled. More information and updates on the case can be found here.

HEALTH, CONSTITUTIONAL PRIVACY, SAFETY Portland

Complaint that the PUC (Public Utilities Commission) did not address safety, Constitutional Privacy and health concerns. (New Story on Outcome)

SUCCESS! The Supreme Judicial Court findings are that they did not properly address these problems (health and safety) and MUST do so. The Court not agree the Privacy concerns were not addressed.

CASES IN MOTION:

WRONGFUL DEATH DUE TO FIRE CAUSED BY SMART METER Vacaville CA
On July 9, 2010, Larry Nikkel died in a fire believed to be caused by smart meter.

WIRELESS COMPONENT OVER SMART METERS
Smart Meters have been “mandated” in British Columbia, however Plantiff contests that the wireless component is part of the mandate.(Press Release) (News story) (Formal Letter of Complaint – legal Document) (Letter of Complaint- scroll down)
Status: Appeal to be heard in October

HEALTH –Central California
Lawsuit filed against the CPUC (Central Public Utilities Commission) for ignoring evidence of harmful health effects of Smart Meters. (Latest updateLink on story
Status:Newly filed.

SPYING!
A top PG&E executive was caught spying and attempting to infiltrate a nonprofit to gather information about a forthcoming lawsuit. (Coverage of case) Curious and curiouser. (Legal Order to investigate)

HEALTH, SAFETY, MISREPRESENTATION OF RADIATION LEVELS, VIOLATION OF AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT — Northern California
Filed by an Electro-magnetic consulting firm, Wilner and Associates this Class Action Lawsuit list multiple ten grievances and is seeking $10,000 per customer who has experienced negative health effects. (Story) (Case Filing)

HEALTH, PRIVACY, HOMEOWNER’S RIGHTS, VIOLATION OF ILLINOIS “OPEN MEETINGS ACT”  Naperville, Illinois
Residents have filed a federal lawsuit (News article) seeking an injunction to instillation (Court Documents)
Up to date info on the case
Status:Discovery phase of the case

Cases “Loss” (aka opportunity to learn so we win the next round)

MISUSE OF FEDERAL MONIES DUE TO FIRE RISK Alabama
According to the lawsuit, the Don Baker, plaintiff, is an engineer and was an AMI smart grid project manager.  He alleges the smart meters were not properly tested, and were seriously flawed. He found that the Sensus iConA had a “tendency to drastically overheat, and melt or burn”.  He was asked to keep quiet and was eventually terminated for failing to do so.

Status: The fire issue was not the focus of the case, it was misuse of Federal Funds.The District Attorney chose not to pursue the case, not based on the fire hazard claims, but claiming Federal Money was not misused. (case documents)

OVERCHARGING Texas
A class action lawsuit (Case documents) filed against Texan Utilities company Oncor. (News Story, Video)
Status: Case Dismissed (One analysis of why it failed)

(7/14) OVERCHARGING Bakersfield California
Initially an individual case alleging overcharging  of smart meters (Initial Filing), this turned into a class action lawsuit (News report).
Status: Initially SUCCESS! Then overturned.emfsafetynetwork.org

 

******************************************************************************

https://thepeoplesinitiative.org/lawsuits/

Our Lawsuits

Our Lawsuits From 2020

ERIN BROCKOVICH FIRM JOINS CITIZENS LAWSUIT TO STOP 5G! 

Please CLICK ON THE BELOW PICTURE to watch a short video and read about our lawsuit:

FCC Lawsuit 2020 RF Standards                  The above video is about 5G, smart meters.

From 2013

Smart Meter Lawsuits

MASS TORT FILED AGAINST UTILITIES FOR HEALTH EFFECTS FROM SMART METERS/SMART GRID…

Attorneys David Kyle and Paul Overett have filed a mass tort against Edison and PG&E for health effects from smart meters/smart grid. Also named in the suit are smart meter installation companies Corix and Wellington, and smart meter manufacturers, Itron and Landis Gyr, with possibly more defendants to be added as the lawsuit progresses.

Mr. Kyle recently reached a settlement with PG&E in a wrongful death, smart meter fire suit and BEAT EDISON IN COURT to achieve the first free opt out in southern California (story on this below).

A total of 16 plaintiffs, 10 Edison and 6 PG&E allege have suffering health effects from the new wireless meters ranging from headaches, loss of sleep and tinnitus to heart attack, cancer and medical implant interference/defibrillator shut offs.

The utilities are being charged with negligence, fraud and deceit, product liability and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The suit alleges the defendants withheld important safety information associated with the use of smart meters as well as multiple violations of CA law including CA civil code section 1710 which defines deceit as an untrue assertion or suppression of a fact so as to mislead.

Liz Barris, organizer for the lawsuit invites other customers from other CA utilities including municipally run utilities whose health has been effected by smart meters or smart grid to join the lawsuit.  Ms. Barris can be reached via phone at 310-281-9639 or email at contact@thepeoplesinitiative.org.

Click here to download copies for the filed complaints.

Watch the below informative video on the lawsuit and some of the symptoms of health effects from the pulsed microwave radiation which smart meters and smart grid emit. Read below for Liz’s story on why she sued.

After having received hundreds of complaints of very serious heath effects from smart meters and smart grid, the CPUC (California Public Utilities Commission) deemed smart meters and smart grid to be perfectly harmless, made a concerted effort to ignore the health complaints from utility customers all suffering from smart meter/smart grid radiation exposure and allowed the utilities to proceed with wanton disregard for public health and safety. One of those complaining customers, Liz Barris, had to sleep in her car for 7 months due to the wireless meter making her apartment totally uninhabitable. Edison offered to remove the meter, but for a price…$4,000 a year extra, simply to have a safe analog meter on the house. In the Mafia this is known as extortion. Ms. Barris organized a mass torte lawsuit against the utility companies Edison and PG&E for health effects from smart meters/smart grid. Included in the suit are 15 other plaintiffs, most of whom have suffered even worse health effects from their smart meters than Ms. Barris. Please watch the below video to see if you might be experiencing any health effects which may be unbeknownst to you, directly attributable to your smart meter, your neighbors smart meter or the smart grid in your neighborhood.

ATTORNEY DAVID KYLE

Attorney David Kyle wanted the smart meter off his home because it was making his wife ill, forcing her to sleep in their car, away from the home and most importantly, away from the harmful smart meter.  Mr. Kyle BEAT SoCal Edison in Small Claims court and became the first Edison customer to achieve a FREE opt out of deadly smart meters – (Legal Documents).

The judge ordered Edison to pay damages or remove the meter and left it to Mr. Kyle to decide. He decided to get the smart meter the hell off his house. (Settlement Documents)

***********************************************************************

 

https://abc30.com/pge-smart-meters-house-fires-lawsuit/2657513/

Lawsuits claim faulty PG&E Smart Meters started house fires

Friday, November 17, 2017

 

A device resting on the side of about ten million home in central and northern California is at the center of several lawsuits

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — It can happen in a flash. Fiery videos posted to YouTube by several homeowners show fires they blame on smart meters. Jose Valdez does not have the video of the fire at his Firebaugh home in September 2015, but he thinks this is basically what happened. The fire spread across his driveway and back towards the bedrooms in his home.

“It was pretty scary. I mean, I have two little girls, a 6-year-old and a 4-year-old at the time. They were all scared,” said Valdez.

Valdez and his family ran out and firefighters had already started pouring water on the house.

A device resting on the side of about ten million home in central and northern California is at the center of several lawsuits that claim it may not be as innocuous as it looks.

He noticed several PG&E employees got there almost as quickly, and he says one of them removed the smart meter while the firefighters worked. Firebaugh’s fire chief saw it too.

He says he is never seen that before, but he thinks he knows why they may have wanted the device.

‘Investigation after the fire was put out revealed that in all probability the fire was caused by a problem in the electrical panel and the problem in the electrical panel, in my belief, was the Smart Meter that was installed in the panel by PG&E,” said John Borboa.

Dozens of people have blamed smart meters for fires over the last several years and the issue has been a topic of discussion for the California Public Utilities Commission.

In 2014, a report from the CPUC acknowledging concern about smart meters as the possible cause of some fires said the commission’s staff determined none of the fires they examined were caused by smart meters.

Jose Valdez is not convinced.

His insurance company is suing PG&E over the fire at his house and they not alone.

“Active arcing going on, electrical activity happening with flames going up the side of the house,” said Don Macalpine.

Fresno firefighters put out the fire at the Sandoval home. Deputy Fire Marshal Don Macalpine says there’s no clear evidence it started with a smart meter malfunction, but their investigation doesn’t rule it out.

A second lawsuit filed on behalf of the Sandoval’s’ insurance company blames PG&E and the smart meter.

In fact, at least five lawsuits in California make the same claim about smart meters.

When I asked for PG&E’s response to the lawsuits, the company’s representatives asked me for a list of questions. They answered none of them, but they did send me a statement saying smart meters have to meet safety requirements and standards spelled out in the national electric safety code.

And they added, “Although we won’t comment on active litigation, we can say that PG&E stands behind the safety of our Smart Meters.”

But Valdez sees his differently now, as a possible threat attached to his home, in what he considers to be one of the worst possible positions.

“My kids’ bedroom is right next to the garage and who knows what would’ve happened after that if it would’ve been in the night,” said Valdez.

Both Fresno County lawsuits are set for trial in 2018.