Sued

Stating that a state-approved coal bed methane plan unconstitutionally allows methane companies to waste billions of gallons of groundwater and violate air and water quality standards, the Northern Plains Resource Council has filed a lawsuit against three Montana agencies.

The U.S. Department of Labor is suing Enron Corp. and 21 former company officials, including former Chairman Kenneth L. Lay and CEO Jeffrey K. Skilling, for mismanaging two of Enron’s pension plans. The lawsuit seeks a court order requiring the defendants to restore to the plans all losses with interest, forfeit their right to benefits from the plans and be permanently barred from serving as fiduciaries to any plan governed by the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

Los Angeles County, a multi-million-dollar annual electricity and natural gas consumer, has sued San Diego-based Sempra Energy and one of its two major utility distribution companies, Southern California Gas Co., for unspecified monetary damages, alleging the companies were part of a massive conspiracy to drive up natural gas and electricity costs that ultimately will cost taxpayers “hundreds of millions of dollars,” according to a recent report in the Los Angeles Daily News, which includes a strong denial from the companies.

Los Angeles County, a multi-million-dollar annual electricity and natural gas consumer, has sued San Diego-based Sempra Energy and one of its two major utility distribution companies, Southern California Gas Co., for unspecified monetary damages, alleging the companies were part of a massive conspiracy to drive up natural gas and electricity costs that ultimately will cost taxpayers “hundreds of millions of dollars,” according to a report Sunday in the Los Angeles Daily News, which includes a strong denial from the companies.

Atlanta-based Georgia Natural Gas Co.(GNGC) has filed a complaint on behalf of SouthStar Energy Services LLC in Georgia’s Fulton County Superior Court to compel Dynegy Marketing and Trade to provide a “full and fair accounting” of its activities as the asset manager for SouthStar. The lawsuit alleges that Dynegy, despite “repeated requests,” has failed to provide necessary documentation and records of purchase and sales transactions.

Greg Noval, who founded and ran Canadian 88 Energy Corp. for 14 years only to be ousted last year when Duke Energy Corp. bought a 20% stake in the company, now faces not only being kicked off the board of directors but also a C$150 million lawsuit filed against him by Canadian 88, which alleges Noval breached his fiduciary duties as a director for attempting a hostile takeover. The lawsuit seeks C$140 million in damages for Noval’s breach of fiduciary duty and C$10 million in general damages.

Greg Noval, who founded and ran Canadian 88 Energy Corp. for 14 years only to be ousted last year when Duke Energy Corp. bought a 20% stake in the company, now faces not only being kicked off the board of directors but also a C$150 million lawsuit filed against him last week by Canadian 88, which alleges Noval breached his fiduciary duties as a director for attempting a hostile takeover. The lawsuit seeks C$140 million in damages for Noval’s breach of fiduciary duty and C$10 million in general damages.

Two weeks after Perry Gas filed for bankruptcy and sued its retailclient billing provider, PowerTrust.com, the marketer confirmed it hasdropped the lawsuit and is selling its residential energy marketingunits to that same provider (see Daily GPI, Aug. 31).

Two weeks after Perry Gas filed for bankruptcy and sued its retail client billing provider, PowerTrust.com, the marketer confirmed it has dropped the lawsuit and is selling its residential energy marketing units to that same provider (see NGI, Sept. 4).