A lawsuit has been filed and is seeking class action status against the utility company for allegedly paying kickbacks to large Cincinnati-area customers to win support for a rate hike. The lawsuit was filed in US District Court against Duke Energy Corp. on behalf of southern Ohio electricity customers. The case claims Duke Energy gave illegal and unfair electricity price advantages to several large corporate customers to keep their opposition to rate hikes quiet, which in turn cost homeowners and small businesses millions of dollars.
The lawsuit alleges Duke Energy and its predecessor companies Cinergy Corp. and Cincinnati Gas & Electric Co. were involved in an illegal scheme which funneled kickbacks to unidentified corporate customers who were members of Industrial Energy Users-Ohio and Ohio Energy Group, two groups that initially opposed a 2003 rate increase request by Cinergy.
