Trial in AG Jim Hood's lawsuit over Entergy electricity rates delayed until April
The trial in a decade-old lawsuit brought by Mississippi Attorney Jim Hood over Entergy's wholesale pricing practices will have to wait until April.
Last week, Federal Judge Carlton Reeves postponed the trial to handle more critical criminal cases on the docket. The bench trial conducted by Reeves, a President Barack Obama appointee, was scheduled to begin this morning in Jackson and will be rescheduled to April 1.
Hood is seeking $1.1 billion in damages for overcharging Mississippi customers by using more expensive power generated at the company's older, more inefficient generation fleet in four states rather than cheaper power procured from independent providers on the open market. Hood says in his complaint that the company has a duty to utilize cheaper power.
The company has denied any wrongdoing in its legal filings.
Attorneys from Kilborn, Roebuck and McDonald are handling the case on a contingency contract with the AG's office and that could add up to $39 million in contingency fees if the lawsuit is successful.
The Mobile, Alabama-based firm also handled a similar case filed in Louisiana that resulted in two Louisiana subsidiaries of the New Orleans-based utility having to pay more than $100 million in a class action.