Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co. v. Public Utilities Commission

The commission’s Order on Rehearing, which disallowed charitable contributions, was based on the “belief that the court in the Cleveland case, supra, had determined as a matter of law that a company’s charitable donations were not a ‘cost to the utility of rendering the public utility service’ within the meaning of that phrase as employed in Section 4909.15(A)(4) Revised Code.”

Appellants and the amici argue that the utilities have a right to present evidence to the commission on the question of whether charitable contributions provide a direct, primary benefit to their customers. Furthermore,…