The Texas Supreme Court on Friday ended lawsuits against power generators from tens of thousands of Texas residents and small businesses who lost electricity during a devastating 2021 winter storm that resulted in billions of dollars in damages and hundreds of deaths.
The state Supreme Court provided no insight into why it ended the five separate appeals representing yearslong efforts from those affected during the freeze that plunged Texas into single-digit temperatures for days. In the years after the storm, thousands of people sought to recoup damages to businesses or seek accountability for themselves or loved ones who were injured or died during the storm. More than 240 people died during the freeze, and some estimates placed the damages at more than $300 billion.
The ruling is a major win for the power generators that were sued, including large regional energy companies Centerpoint Energy and NRG Texas Power, who claimed the record-breaking storm was to blame for the damages, not deficiencies in their own actions. Four of the court’s nine justices did not participate in the ruling, according to the court’s website.
The appeals sought to challenge a ruling from the state’s First Court of Appeals that dismissed the cases for having “no basis in law or fact.”
The court’s Friday decision is not the first time it has ruled against plaintiffs seeking damages in the wake of the winter storm.
In 2023, the state’s highest court ruled that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the power supply for most of Texas, could not be sued because it could claim sovereign immunity. The immunity, which largely shields government agencies from civil lawsuits, was provided because it “provides an essential governmental service,” according to the ruling.
Disclosure: CenterPoint Energy has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
