Connecticut Agency Settles Lawsuit, Admits Former Chair’s Missteps

PURA’s Past Practices Under Scrutiny: A Tentative Settlement Reaches the Docket

Connecticut’s energy scene just got a jolt. The Public Utility Regulatory Authority (PURA) has reached a tentative settlement in a lawsuit with Eversource and United Illuminating.

This agreement comes after PURA admitted that former Chair Marissa Gillett’s style of leadership left fellow commissioners out of the loop. That move raised questions about fairness and could’ve hit the financial stability of key Connecticut utilities.

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The lawsuit, filed back in January 2025, centers on claims that Gillett made decisions alone. Utilities say this approach hurt their financial health and made it harder for them to get loans.

The Genesis of the Dispute: Allegations of Unilateral Control

Everything boiled over after accusations that Gillett bypassed the collaborative nature of regulatory oversight. For a while, uncertainty hovered over PURA, especially in places like Hartford and Bridgeport, where utilities felt the pinch.

The utilities’ complaint described a pattern: Gillett made calls without input from the full commission. This limited their options for appeal and, honestly, just didn’t seem right.

They argued this process wasn’t just flawed—it directly harmed Connecticut businesses and residents who count on dependable utility services. The financial fallout was real, affecting daily operations and making it tougher to invest or borrow for big upgrades, whether in Greenwich or New Haven.

Gillett’s Departure and PURA’s Reorganization

Things reached a tipping point when news broke that Gillett might’ve withheld key evidence in another court case. Governor Ned Lamont didn’t waste time and kicked off a big shake-up at PURA.

Gillett resigned about nine months after the lawsuit was filed. Governor Lamont tapped former consumer advocate Thomas Wiehl to take the reins.

He also expanded the commission from three to five members. That move aimed to hit the reset button on how PURA governs utilities in Connecticut.

People across the state—from Norwich to Waterbury—seemed to breathe a little easier, hoping this would restore some faith in PURA’s fairness.

The Proposed Settlement: A Path to Closure?

The tentative settlement, still waiting for Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Stewart‘s approval, would dismiss the lawsuit without financial penalties for either side.

In exchange, PURA has openly admitted that its earlier procedural approach broke established legal protocols.

This admission followed a review of documents showing Gillett made hundreds of decisions alone, which blocked utilities from appealing decisions that should’ve gone to the full commission.

If the lawsuit had gone to trial, the fallout could’ve been huge.

PURA faced the headache of possibly reviewing up to 400 past decisions dating back to 2020.

That kind of undertaking would have pulled resources away from urgent energy policy work across Connecticut, including places like Stamford.

The stipulation points out that the new PURA has already put directives in place to follow the right regulatory procedures, aiming for more transparency and due process.

Navigating Future Rate Hikes and Past Storm Costs

This settlement lands at a tricky time for Eversource, just as the company gets ready to request an 11 percent rate hike—its first in eight years.

At the same time, the utility wants to recover over $1 billion in storm-repair costs since 2018.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, who helped negotiate the settlement, hasn’t held back his criticism of Eversource’s planned rate increase.

His office still stands by earlier claims that Eversource tried to force out Gillett to inflate its revenues.

Tong’s role in the settlement doesn’t change his ongoing scrutiny of utility costs or their impact on consumers.

With all this in play, the settlement sets up more tough conversations about energy costs and infrastructure reliability for Connecticut residents.

Here is the source article for this story: CT agency agrees to settle suit; admits improper decision-making by former chair

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