Seattle City Light settles lawsuit over incorrect bills

SEATTLE (AP) — The city of Seattle has reached a $3.5 million settlement in a lawsuit against Seattle City Light filed by peole who received incorrect and excessive utility bills. The Seattle Times reports the settlement addresses issues raised in August 2019 lawsuit that claimed Seattle City Light improperly billed some of its customers based upon an estimated usage of electricity. The suit claimed that City Light invested in technology that would estimate customer usage, and relied on that technology instead of checking meters, to bill customers. The suit alleged that Seattle City Light invested in faulty — and costly — technology and then, when it failed, sought to correct the system’s errors by serially overcharging customers.