APS Agrees to $7 Million Settlement After Cutting Power to Woman Who Died in Heat

Arizona Attorney General Forces Utility to End Date-Based Power Shutoffs During Dangerous Heat

Phoenix — Arizona Public Service will no longer cut off residential customers' electricity when temperatures hit 95 degrees or higher. The state's largest utility agreed to a $7 million settlement with Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes after remotely disconnecting an 82-year-old woman's power on a day when temperatures reached 99 degrees.

Katherine Korman was found dead in her Sun City home six days after her service was cut off. Her power was remotely disconnected on May 13, 2024, over a $423 bill when the daily high temperature in her area reached 99 degrees. She was found deceased at her residence on May 19, 2024.

No Arizonan should be put at risk because they cannot afford their electric bill, said Attorney General Mayes. This settlement ensures that APS will no longer disconnect power based on the date on the calendar alone — if temperatures are dangerous, the power stays on.

APS had discontinued its voluntary 95-degree hold practice just three days before Korman's service was cut off. Under that policy, the utility had previously refrained from disconnecting service during extreme heat. The cause of Korman's death was not determined as part of this action.

The medical examiner's autopsy report indicated Korman died from chronic ethanolism with other contributing factors including heart disease and environmental heat stress. Her son, Jonathan Korman, said his mother thought her bill was being paid after her autopay was cut off months earlier.

She had the money. She thought the bill was being paid. And we think she simply did not know until they cut her off, said Jonathan Korman.

Settlement Terms Require Temperature-Based Moratorium

Under the settlement agreement, APS must pay $2.75 million into the state's Consumer Protection–Consumer Fraud Revolving Fund. The utility will also provide $1 million in credits to eligible customers with outstanding balances. APS will invest $3.1 million in consumer protection improvements.

All payments must be funded solely through APS shareholder funds and may not be recovered from ratepayers through future rate cases or surcharges.

Specific settlement requirements include:

• Reinstating the voluntary 95-degree hold on residential power disconnections for nonpayment, halting disconnections whenever temperatures are forecast to reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit or above the following day
• Maintaining the 32-degree cold weather hold on residential disconnections when temperatures are forecast to drop to 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below
• Improving customer notifications by adding text message alerts for past-due and disconnection notices
• Enhancing the Safety Net Program to function as an emergency notification system

APS will also be required to send annual letters to customers enrolled in the Saver Choice Plus frozen rate plan comparing their costs against available alternative rate plans.

Attorney General Blames Corporation Commission and Legislature

In her press conference, Attorney General Mayes laid blame squarely on the Arizona Corporation Commission and the state legislature for not enacting stricter laws and regulations. Mayes, a former corporation commissioner herself, had advocated for a temperature-based system rather than a calendar-based one.

It should not have taken a lawsuit by my office and news reports to get us here today, but that is how that happened, said Mayes. She noted Arizona is one of the hottest states in the country. Protecting Arizonans from having their power cut off in life-threatening heat is not a novel or complicated idea. It is a basic obligation of utility regulation, said Mayes.

The Arizona Corporation Commission had previously established rules prohibiting APS and other utilities from disconnecting past-due residential accounts between June 1 and October 15 following the death of Stephanie Pullman in 2018. Pullman, a 72-year-old from Sun City West, owed just a few dollars to the utility when she died on a 105-degree day in September 2018.

However, temperatures in Phoenix often reach the 90s and higher outside those dates. Maricopa County confirmed the first heat death of 2026 in early April. There were 430 confirmed heat-related deaths in Maricopa County last year, according to the county's Heat Surveillance Dashboard.

Korman's Sons Seek Accountability Beyond APS

Jonathan Korman said the settlement is the bare minimum. He hopes the 95-degree threshold is reevaluated at some point because it is still very hot. His family also wants to see more money allocated toward helping people pay their bills.

APS has still refused to admit any wrongdoing, and they killed my mother, said Jonathan Korman.

The brothers hope the changes are adopted by other utilities statewide. APS must reach out to other utilities across the state and urge them to adopt a temperature-based moratorium on disconnections.

APS Denies Wrongdoing

APS spokesperson Jill Hanks said the utility has and will continue to find solutions for customers who cannot pay their bills. She pointed to expanded programs for heat relief and emergency contacts.

While we have chosen to resolve this matter by adopting enhancements that benefit our customers, APS rejects the Attorney General's assertions regarding our existing disconnection policies and customer communications, which already meet or exceed all applicable state laws and regulations, said APS in a press release.

APS said the changes will be in place moving forward just in time for summer.

Jonathan Korman said his mother was a cancer survivor described as strong and independent. When they realized that their mother's death was part of a pattern rather than a freak accident, he and his brother decided to fight for policy change.

APS has still refused to admit any wrongdoing, and they killed my mother, said Jonathan Korman.