Duke Energy might want to honor the spirit, and not just the word of law. After a landlord stopped paying utility bills, Duke shut off the heat to an apartment building in Cincinnati, one that houses four families with 14 children. State rules prohibit shutting off the heat to a home in the dead of winter. But due to a technicality (the landlord was the one who’s name was on the bill) Duke went forward with shutting off the gas. That left all those parents and kids, one as young as 8 month old, to shiver all night in below freezing temps. The 8 month old and his mom actually slept on the floor next to their electric oven to keep warm.
I understand Duke needs to get what it’s owed. But these poor people caught in the middle haven’t done anything wrong….yet they’re the ones left out in the cold. And to all of them, and to me, that doesn’t seem right. Maybe next time Duke should wait till Spring to collect on old debts.
