Hartwell Corporation v. Superior Court

Opinion

CHIN, J.

Plaintiffs, residents of the San Gabriel Valley in Southern California, filed lawsuits in superior court, alleging, inter alia, that certain water companies provided them unsafe drinking water causing death, personal injury, and property damage. Public Utilities Code section 1759,1 however, precludes superior court jurisdiction to review any order or decision of the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) or to interfere with the PUC in the performance of its official duties. We granted review in this case to determine whether section 1759 bars the superior court actions.…