City reaches agreement to end Seattle City Light lawsuit for improperly billing customers

SEATTLE - The City of Seattle has reached a $3.5 million settlement agreement in a lawsuit against Seattle City Light that claimed the agency improperly billed some of its customers. 

The class-action lawsuit, filed in August of 2019, claimed the agency improperly billed some of its customers based upon an estimated usage of electricity. 

A motion for preliminary approval of the class action settlement was filed with King County Superior Court on Wednesday. It will require the judge’s approval for the settlement to take effect.  

The settlement, after certain costs and attorneys’ fees, will be divided into two funds for qualifying residential City Light customers who received one or more estimated bills followed by a bill based on actual usage between Aug. 21, 2015, and June 8, 2020. 

Seattle City Light estimates around 300,000 residential accounts would be included in the settlement. The amount each customer may receive is dependent upon the number of qualifying claims made. 

Once the court grants preliminary approval of the settlement agreement, potential class members will receive notice, providing an opportunity to submit a claim, object, or opt out. These notifications will likely go out before the end of the year.  The settlement administrator will process claim forms and notify City Light of customers who should receive credit on their account. The settlement administrator will mail checks to those who submit valid claims and who are not current customers of City Light.

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