170 lawsuits against utility companies and state grid operator ERCOT over the blackouts that killed hundreds of people.

the first priority is for the court to resolve several legal questions that will affect the course of the litigation.

These include which defendants have governmental immunity, and thus cannot be sued, and which had a responsibility to ensure the plaintiffs had electricity in their homes.

A Houston Chronicle investigation found 194 deaths linked to the blackouts, nearly double the state’s initial count. An analysis by Buzzfeed News found as many as 700 Texans may have died in the cold.

Jan. 1, 2022

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/More-than-400-Texans-have-sued-ERCOT-energy-16741904.php