This post was provided by News Now Warsaw

VALPARAISO, Ind. — Following a severe storm system on August 11, 2026, that left roughly 317,000 customers—nearly 60% of Northern Indiana Public Service Company’s (NIPSCO) electric base—without power, local residents are striking back in court.

In an amended class action complaint filed August 17, 2026, in Porter Superior Court 1, lead plaintiff Jack Tipold and 15 co-plaintiffs say that NIPSCO’s systemic and negligent vegetation mismanagement directly caused widespread, prolonged power failures across Northwest Indiana. The suit seeks to hold the Merrillville-headquartered utility accountable for personal injuries, emotional distress, and financial losses suffered by residents going back to August 17, 2024.

At a press conference hosted by Allen Law Group, LLC, attorneys and victims detailed what they describe as a predictable, preventable breakdown of public safety and basic infrastructure.

According to the legal filing and attorneys, NIPSCO has consistently failed to maintain standard tree-trimming cycles along its transmission and distribution lines. While standard industry practice calls for proactive vegetation clearing every five to seven years, NIPSCO’s last reported schedule was a 10-year cycle in 2019, with no formal reporting provided since.

“All electric utilities know that down trees and vegetation are a main cause of power outages,” explained attorney Otto Shragal during the press briefing. “They also know that some tree species and vegetation grow back into the power lines very quickly. But instead of trimming the vegetation proactively on a set five-to-seven-year cycle or something similar, NIPSCO simply reacts. They react after the fact, after the damage has already been done.”

The complaint further charges NIPSCO with prioritizing corporate profits for shareholders over customer safety. Among 18 specific breaches of duty outlined in the filing, plaintiffs claim NIPSCO ignored repeated public complaints regarding hazardous trees, failed to conduct mandatory pole and line inspections, and outsourced critical line clearance to unqualified sources while failing to employ adequate forces of internal linemen.