ATLANTA (CN) - Korean dry cleaning business owners have accused Infinite Energy of locking them into exorbitant natural gas contracts following Hurricane Katrina, in Federal Court.
Business owners Byung Ho Cheoun, Shiraz Kurani and Hae Sook Chung, who belong to the Korean Cleaners' Association of Atlanta, claim they signed what they thought were favorable contracts in 2005 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The hurricane had damaged drilling platforms, pipeline gathering systems and interstate pipeline infrastructure, causing a nationwide short-term spike in natural gas costs.
The dry cleaners assert that although Infinite Energy knew the price hike was temporary, "Infinite embarked on a scheme to lock its customers into three-year and five-year deals at exorbitant prices, in order to maximize its profits and cheat its customers."
The defendants allegedly sent letters written in Korean, Chinese and English to customers "warning them that the supply of natural gas was running out, and that prices would continue to spiral upward out of sight."
The cleaners are represented by David Pardue of Hartman, Simons, Spielman & Wood LLP.
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