SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico’s government filed a lawsuit Tuesday against a private power company, claiming it is responsible for damages to customers’ appliances caused by chronic power outages in the U.S. territory.
The civil lawsuit by the consumer affairs department says the Luma company, which oversees power transmission and distribution in Puerto Rico, was “negligent” and is responsible for damages caused to consumer appliances by outages and power fluctuations.
It said the department has the authority to take cases to court to protect those affected by the company’s “inefficiency and lack of adequate service.”
The action was filed against the company as a whole since the law exempts Luma’s employees and contractors from claims filed by customers under an immunity granted in 2021 by Puerto Rico’s Energy Bureau.
The suit cited a recent Luma statement at a public hearing that the company has rejected 1,828 claims. “It’s