LIPA Hit With Post-Sandy Class Action Lawsuit

LIPA crews working in E. Northport following Superstorm Sandy. (Photo credit: Rashed Mian)

A Melville attorney has filed a class action lawsuit against LIPA and its contractor National Grid as thousands of customers remain without power two weeks after Superstorm Sandy.

The attorney, Kenneth Mollins, is seeking damages from the Long Island Power Authority and National Grid for their “gross negligence, breach of contract and fraud arising in the aftermath of [Hurricane] Sandy,” Mollins wrote in a letter to the New York State Inspector General’s office.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday in Nassau County Supreme Court seeks unspecified damages.

LIPA reported on its website Tuesday that 98 percent of the 1.1 million ratepayers who lost power two weeks ago are up and running.

More than 15,000 LIPA customers are still in the dark, with 11,000 residing in Nassau County.

But an additional 37,000 ratepayers in the Rockaway Peninsula, Nassua County, the City of Long Beach and some Suffolk residents have been excluded from LIPA’s outage map because they reside in flooded areas that can’t receive electricity until their home equipment is inspected and proper certification is given.

Calls to LIPA and National Grid seeking comment were not returned.

Public pressure has been mounting on the utility since Sandy ravaged the area. Oceanside residents rallied on Friday and blasted LIPA for their perceived inaction during the storm. Fuming residents also protested outside the utility’s headquarters Saturday calling for LIPA to speed up restoration.