Lawsuit filed in death of boy after blackout

A Houston attorney has filed a $100 million lawsuit against Entergy Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, claiming that widespread blackouts contributed to the suspected hypothermia death of an 11-year-old Conroe boy.

A lawsuit filed Saturday by Houston attorney Tony Buzbee alleges that the death of Cristian Pineda would not have happened if ERCOT and the energy company had properly guarded the energy grid against severe winter weather or warned residents of prolonged outages at the outset of this week’s deadly weather crisis.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the family in Jefferson County district court, accuses ERCOT and Entergy Texas of negligence and gross negligence. The Pineda family is seeking damages, funeral expenses and a judgment of more than $100 million, according to the suit.

“This is a tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” ERCOT said in a statement. “We haven’t reviewed any pending lawsuits yet and will respond accordingly once we do.”

A spokesperson for Entergy Texas said the company could not comment due to pending litigation. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of life in our community,” the company said.