Massachusetts Electric Co. v. Doctors Hospital of Worcester, Inc.

Sued by the plaintiff for electric charges and interest on the unpaid balance of prior bills, the defendant filed a counterclaim “on its own behalf and on behalf of all the [plaintiff s] other customers . . . similarly situated,” alleging that the interest charges were usurious and contrary to those approved by the Department of Public Utilities (department). Both parties moved for summary judgment, the plaintiff appending as an exhibit to its motion a decision of the department appearing to approve of the plaintiff s method of computing interest. The judge ruled in favor of the defendant on…