WAPA Customers and Plaintiffs Urge Judge to Allow Discovery in AMI System Fraud Case

Attorneys for the plaintiffs in the civil lawsuit accusing the Water and Power Authority of widespread consumer fraud have filed a motion begging the District Court to move forward with the discovery process. The lawsuit, filed in December 2021, accuses WAPA of deceptive business practices and unfair billing, stemming from the utility’s installation of an automated metering system that they knew was unfit for purpose.‌ In January, the plaintiffs sought leave to expand the matter into a class-action lawsuit, claiming that at least 50,000 WAPA consumers have been affected by questionable bills. Former Public Services Commission Chair Johann Clendinen is one of the named plaintiffs, as is Gordon Ackley, Chair of the territorial Republican Party. Defendants include WAPA, Tantalus Systems Inc., and Itron Inc. The latter two companies were involved in the manufacture and installation of WAPA’s smart meters. District Court magistrate Ruth Miller granted motions from the defendants to stay ...