Settlement Offer Weighed In Md. Utility Case

BALTIMORE (AP) -- A lawyer says a settlement has been offered to resolve a case involving meter reading practices by Potomac Edison in western Maryland.

Joseph Cleaver, a lawyer with the Maryland Office of People's Counsel, tells The Herald-Mail of Hagerstown that the case could come before a public utility judge if a settlement is not reached by next week.

The case stems from complaints by western Maryland consumers who say they were overbilled because Potomac Edison did not properly read their meters, making it appear as if they had used more electricity than they actually had.

The state Public Service Commission opened a case against the utility based on the complaints.

A Potomac Edison spokesman says the company takes a meter reading one month and uses an estimate the following month.