BGE sued by 3 protesters over "unlawful arrest" during a controversial 2023 gas infrastructure project
Three protesters are suing Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE), claiming the company instigated their "unlawful arrest" with false information during a 2023 gas infrastructure project.
According to attorney Thiru Vignarajah, who represents the protesters, BGE called police on June 22, 2023, to arrest "peaceful protesters" who objected to BGE's installation of external gas regulators.
According to Vignarajah, police body cam footage of the incident showed the officers' "reluctance" to make the "unlawful arrests that BGE was demanding."
WJZ has reached out to BGE for comment.
Controversial BGE project
According to the lawsuit, BGE was unlawfully terminating gas service for some residents in Baltimore's Federal Hill neighborhood who opposed having external pressure regulators drilled into historic homes.
Neighbors gathered to protest, and "BGE fed Baltimore police a series of false claims to compel their arrest," according to Vignarajah.
Three women were restrained, arrested, and held for nearly 20 hours in the Baltimore City Detention Center, the lawsuit alleges.
"The novel lawsuit is directed not at Baltimore police but at the private utility for false imprisonment," Vignarajah said.
The lawsuit further cites a 1995 Maryland Supreme Court case which found that "a private party who instigates a wrongful arrest...is itself liable for false imprisonment."
Charges dropped against protesters
According to Vignarajah, BGE told police that it had given Federal Hill residents the legally required 14-day notice, that it had a permit to authorize the installation work, and that it had the authority to shut off services for customers who declined the gas regulators.
However, Vignarajah said BGE only gave residents a few hours' warning, and that the permit covered a different block, a different kind of work, and a different time of day.
The Maryland Public Service Commission later rejected BGE's claim, according to Vignarajah, saying there were no provisions allowing BGE to end gas service based on a customer's decision to decline the gas regulator.
The charges against the women were dropped without a hearing, and a judge ordered BGE to restore the service it cut within days of the protesters' arrests, Vignarajah said.
