Blue Ridge Electric sued in Ashe County Court

Property owners in Ashe County have brought a class action lawsuit against Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, alleging it misrepresented the construction of new transmission lines across their property.

The suit alleges that Blue Ridge Electric, with inadequate or no easements, constructed poles and lines "much wider, much taller and much more visible" than the ones that were replaced.

It alleges the property owners were not compensated for the loss of use of their land.

The case involves 100KV lines built beginning in mid- to late-2001 across Watauga, Ashe and Alleghany counties, the suit states.

It was filed Monday in Ashe Superior Court. Fourteen owners of property in Ashe are named as plaintiffs.

No dollar amount is given, but the suit seeks damages and rental for the use of the plaintiffs' property and the costs of the case, and maintains that damages should be tripled because of "unfair and deceptive trade practices."

It seeks a jury trial.

Blue Ridge Electric has attorneys reviewing the suit, Renee Whitener, director of corporate communications, said Tuesday.

She said the cooperative has 67,000 member-owners and one of the highest customer satisfaction rates in the country. "It's unfortunate, but once in a while we will run into problems with a consumer base that large," she said.

"Our main mission is to provide at-cost, reliable electric service and be involved in the local communities.... We feel like we have a good record to stand on."

According to the suit, Blue Ridge Electric used subcontractors to replace 60-foot-tall wooden poles with 100-foot-tall aluminum poles, some requiring "multiple guy wires," and some being installed three in tandem.

The new poles required easements of "at least 100 feet," instead of the 30-foot easement required by the wooden poles that were replaced, it said.

The lines also included fiber optics, which the suit questioned for its use in electrical transmission and commercial interests.

The suit states that Blue Ridge Electric trespassed on property owned by the plaintiffs and class members "by building roads, grading, cutting trees and bushes and building new distribution lines and high voltage transmission lines" with no or inadequate easements, or without permission and sometimes damaging property.

The suit cites cut gate locks that allowed cattle to get out, and damaged crops in Christmas tree and hay fields from vehicles driven through them.

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