Connecticut Supreme Court Hears CRRA Appeal

Date: October 17, 2008

Source: News Room

The Connecticut Supreme Court is considering whether the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority (CRRA) should pay $36 million to 70 towns that claim the agency overcharged them to recoup losses incurred from a bad loan to now defunct Enron Corp. CRRA is appealing a Waterbury Superior Court judge's ruling in favor of the towns last year. There, the judge held that the quasi-public waste authority breached its contract with the towns and gained "unjust enrichment" by raising disposal fees to cover losses from its failed $220 million loan to Enron, which went bankrupt soon after the deal was made in 2001. The CRRA managed to recoup most of the money it lost through legal settlements, but had to borrow $21.5 million to fill the remaining loss gap. That loan was paid off earlier this year. CRRA argues that the Enron deal was a legitimate exercise of the agency's authority to manage its finances as it sees fit.

Enron went bankrupt in December 2001 when it could no longer hide billions of dollars in debt. The collapse wiped out thousands of jobs and several Enron executives were sent to prison.

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