Three New York area law firms have combined forces in serving notice to Long Island Power Authority that they intend to fully litigate claims that the power company was negligent in its preparations and reaction to Superstorm Sandy in the last few weeks. According to a press release from the national law firm of Parker […]
Three New York area law firms have combined forces in serving notice to Long Island Power Authority that they intend to fully litigate claims that the power company was negligent in its preparations and reaction to Superstorm Sandy in the last few weeks.
According to a press release from the national law firm of Parker Waichman LLP, that firm alongside attorney Kenneth Mollins and the Manhattan law firm of Douglas & London have filed a formal Notice of Claim against LIPA and its contractor, National Grid, at the power company’s home office in Nassau County, N.Y.
The serving a Notice of Claim is required by law because LIPA is a public utility. The notice indicates to LIPA and National Grid that the firms plan to fully litigate claims of negligence filed against the company by businesses and individuals in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. This notice will give the power company and its contractor the opportunity to offer settlements to affected businesses and individuals and avoid costly litigation.
Last week, as tens of thousands of Long Island and other New York area residents still attempted to recover from the record-breaking storm, Mollins filed a class-action lawsuit against LIPA and National Grid. The lawsuit sought to cover any business that was or continues to be affected by the storm, namely regarding the impact of the loss of electricity. Mollins then reached out for the services of Parker Waichman LLP, a leading national law firm in aiding those who’ve been adversely affected by natural disasters. Douglas & London also joined this effort to create an expert and high-powered team of attorneys ready to represent affected businesses in the Long Island and greater New York area.
While millions were told to expect to lose power during and after the storm, it’s been more than two weeks since the area was affected by Sandy and for some, power has still not been restored. These and other businesses believe LIPA was negligent in its poor planning prior to the storm’s landfall and just as careless in the days and weeks following it.
According to the release from Parker Waichman, “Having already filed a Class Action lawsuit on behalf of individual homeowners affected by the loss of power caused by LIPA’s failure to prepare for Sandy, these firms have now moved aggressively to proceed on behalf of Long Island’s business owners who suffered substantial economic losses while under LIPA’s care.”
Anywhere between 650,000 and 1 million Long Island residents may qualify to join the class-action lawsuit originally filed by Mollins. Damage estimates just for these businesses is likely to reach into the tens of millions of dollars.
