Judge says

Consumers claim at temperature rises, $1 of gas has less energy

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A potential class-action lawsuit claiming U.S. oil companies have knowingly overcharged customers when gas station fuel temperatures rise passed its first hurdle Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Kathryn Vratil rejected a motion from the oil companies to dismiss the lawsuit, saying they had not proven the plaintiffs wouldn’t prevail in court.

George Zelcs, an attorney for the plaintiffs, welcomed the ruling, which now allows both sides to begin collecting more information on the way to trial.

“The oil industry represented to Judge Vratil that their motion to dismiss was a silver bullet” to the plaintiff’s claims, Zelcs said. “Obviously, their aim was not true.”

AP