Supreme Court of California

The California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) does not have exclusive jurisdiction over all actions against a public utility, and the mere possibility of, or potential for, conflict with the PUC is generally insufficient to establish that a civil action against a public utility is precluded by Public Utilities Code section 1759.

Appellate Information

• Decided 12/15/2003
• Published 12/15/2003

Judges

• GEORGE, C.J.

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
•  Thomas J. Orloff, District Attorney, Harry B. Johnson and Julie A. Dunger, Deputy District Attorneys, for Plaintiff and Appellant Alameda County District Attorney., James P. Fox, District Attorney, and John E. Wilson, Deputy District Attorney, for Plaintiff and Appellant San Mateo County District Attorney., Dean D. Flippo, District Attorney, Lydia Villarreal and Denine J. Guy, Deputy District Attorneys, for Plaintiff and Appellant Monterey County District Attorney.,  Gary M. Cohen, Mary F. McKenzie, San Francisco, Barbara J. Ferguson, Santa Ana, Karen Paull and Charlyn Hook for California Public Utilities Commission as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Plaintiffs and Appellants., Bill Lockyer, Attorney General, Richard M. Frank, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Herschel T. Elkins, Assistant Attorney General, Michael R. Botwin and Margaret Reiter, Deputy Attorneys General, for the State of California as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Plaintiffs and Appellants., Lawrence G. Brown, Sacramento, and David La Bahn for California District Attorneys Association as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Plaintiffs and Appellants., The Sturdevant Law Firm, James C. Sturdevant, San Francisco, Mark T. Johnson;  Steyer Lowenthal Boodrookas Alvarez & Smith, Allan Steyer, Carlos A. Alvarez and Jennifer Chon for Consumer Attorneys of California as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Plaintiffs and Appellants.


• For Appellees:
  
• Bart Kimball, Bobby C. Lawyer, San Francisco, Carol M. Anderson;  Pillsbury Winthrop and Kevin M. Fong, San Francisco, for Defendants and Respondents., Fred J. Hiestand, Sacramento, for The Civil Justice Association of California as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Defendants and Respondents., Munger, Tolles & Olson, Henry Weissmann, Los Angeles, and A. TaliZer Ilan for Verizon California, Inc., Southern California Edison Company, San Diego Gas & Electric Company and Southern California Gas Company as Amici Curiae on behalf of Defendants and Respondents.