TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Brittany Sims on Sep 5, 2014

Attorneys have brought a whistleblower lawsuit alleging that the Electric Power Board of Chattanooga (EPB) violated Tennessee’s False Claims Act by knowingly submitting inflated bills for its streetlights, thereby overbilling Chattanooga taxpayers for an amount that remains in dispute. Plaintiff Don Lepard, owner of Global Green Lighting and a former contactor for the city, filed the sealed lawsuit against EPB on behalf of the city and state. The suit claims that when Lepard informed EPB about its defective billing and record keeping systems in 2011, the utility began changing its books rather than reimbursing the city. Lepard is seeking more than $10 million in damages for what he says is an average 27 percent overbilling rate. The Chattanooga Times Free Press has the story.