Connecticut General Statutes 16-8d – Recovery of costs, expenses, judgments or attorney’s fees for an action brought under section 16-8a
(a) No costs, expenses or judgments associated with any action brought under the provisions of § 16-8a may be included in the rates or charge of any public service company, as defined in § 16-1, until such time as the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority or the Labor Department, in a final decision, finds in favor of the company or if such action is appealed, until such time as the court finds, in a final decision, in favor of the company.
Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 16-8d
- Authority: means the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and "department" means the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. See Connecticut General Statutes 16-1
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Person: means an individual, business, firm, corporation, association, joint stock association, trust, partnership or limited liability company. See Connecticut General Statutes 16-1
- Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
- Public service company: includes electric distribution, gas, telephone, pipeline, sewage, water and community antenna television companies and holders of a certificate of cable franchise authority, owning, leasing, maintaining, operating, managing or controlling plants or parts of plants or equipment, but shall not include towns, cities, boroughs, any municipal corporation or department thereof, whether separately incorporated or not, a private power producer, as defined in §. See Connecticut General Statutes 16-1
(b) In any action brought under the provisions of § 16-8a, which results in a judgment in favor of the plaintiff, the court shall award to the plaintiff, in addition to any other relief, costs and a reasonable attorney’s fee based on the work reasonably performed by an attorney and not on the amount of recovery, and may award punitive damages.
(c) The provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall only apply to an action brought pursuant to § 16-8a by an employee of a Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensee operating a nuclear power generating facility in this state or by any person, firm, corporation, contractor or subcontractor directly or indirectly providing goods or services to such licensee.