Rule 13.2 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure provides an expedited process for certain consumer complaints against public utilities. This process is only available where the amount of money claimed does not exceed the jurisdictional amount for small claims court. The currently applicable limit is $5,000 per Code of Civil Procedure § 116.220(a)(1).
In this proceeding, the only financial remedy complainant seeks is: "Cash settlement to Kathleen Coakley for poor service, installation violations and bringing this case to the attention of the CPUC, total award to be determined in court, but over $6,500."
It is well-settled law that the Commission lacks jurisdiction to make an award of damages, such as that requested by complainant. (Marking Products, Inc. v. AT&T, D.01-01-044, at note 8 (2001).)
Because we cannot order the requested financial award, the issues remaining in this proceeding are eligible for resolution pursuant to the Expedited Complaint Process. That process would allow for a more efficient resolution of the remaining issues presented by this complaint.
Therefore, this proceeding will be re-docketed and processed pursuant to the Expedited Complaint Process. The hearing required by Rule 13(d) shall be held:
Tuesday, April 3, 2001
9:00 a.m.
Commission Hearing Room
State Office Building
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102
IT IS SO RULED.
Dated March 5, 2001, at San Francisco, California.
/s/ MARIBETH A. BUSHEY | ||
Maribeth A. Bushey Administrative Law Judge |
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I certify that I have by mail this day served a true copy of the original attached Administrative Law Judge's Ruling on all parties of record in this proceeding or their attorneys of record.
Dated March 5, 2001, at San Francisco, California.
/s/ FANNIE SID |
Fannie Sid |
NOTICE
Parties should notify the Process Office, Public Utilities Commission, 505 Van Ness Avenue, Room 2000, San Francisco, CA 94102, of any change of address to insure that they continue to receive documents. You must indicate the proceeding number on the service list on which your name appears.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Commission's policy is to schedule hearings (meetings, workshops, etc.) in locations that are accessible to people with disabilities. To verify that a particular location is accessible, call: Calendar Clerk (415) 703-1203.
If specialized accommodations for the disabled are needed, e.g., sign language interpreters, those making the arrangements must call the Public Advisor at (415) 703-2074 or TTY# 1-866-836-7825 or (415) 703-5282 at least three working days in advance of the event.
From: Kathleen Casey-Coakley [mailto:kcpaloalto@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, February 23, 2001 6:17 PM
To: public.advisor@cpuc.ca.gov; raw@cpuc.ca.gov; mab@cpuc.ca.gov
Subject: Formal Complaint #C.00-12-003; request for Sept 2001
DEAR PUBLIC ADVISOR, Ms. White and AJL Bushey:
COAKLEY vs PACIFIC BELL Case No. 00-12-003
The (Preliminary) FORMAL RESPONSE IS BELOW, this is a
cover letter:
Please accept this as I am out of the country, I will
be faxing and mailing an original response.
As Complainant: This is a preliminary document, which
I would like the CPUC to consider re-scheduling for
September 2001 (Pre-hearing and Formal hearing in the
same month.)
My reasons are addressed to PACIFIC BELL and the CPUC
below, in my response to PACIFIC BELL's answer to my
complaint. There was a family death (Oct) and a
current serious family illness.
In December I was requesting the CPUC scheduling this
Pre-hearing for the 1st of February, and found myself
in need to travel outside the USA. Just after that
date with no time to reply to PACIFIC BELL's answer to
the Complaint.
I do find CPUC the web site very useful, when
attempting to keep informed of procedures and on track
with what the CPUC needs, though I am not sure I have
read everything. I will continue to read all the
documents on the web. I have had some troubles
printing all the documents and have written to the web
master.
Please let me know if you can reschedule, or if these
preliminary documents will be authorized.
I do appreciate your help in this procedure, which
seems very complex to me, but I am learning.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Coakley
FORMAL COMPLAINT RESPONSE BELOW:
_______________________________________________________
BEFORE THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA
___________________________________________
Kathleen Coakley,
Complainant,
vs. Case No.
00-12-003
Pacific Bell Telephone Company,
Defendant.
__________________________________________
Preliminary Copy!!!! original to be FAXED and mailed
KATHLEEN COAKLEY RESPONSE TO DEFENDANT
ANSWER
Ms. Kathleen Coakley ("COAKLEY"), a fourth
generation Californian whose address is Post Office
Box
598, Palo Alto, California 94302, files this Response
to
Defendant filed with the California Public Utilities
Commission ("CPUC").
I. STATEMENT OF FACTS
Pacific Bell Telephone Company ("PACIFIC")
stated every issue raised had been previous litigated
and resolved, these facts are not correct. SEE
("PLEASE
NOTE incorrect fact:")
COAKLEY and PACIFIC in April 1998 had a previous
confidential settlement in regards to the behavior of
several PACIFIC employees professional code of ethics.
PLEASE NOTE incorrect fact by PACIFIC EXHIBIT 1
letter:
Though to be specific and not break confidential
agreements in regards to Pacific's Answer EXHIBIT 1;
and
the (questionable) quote "Pacific Bell technician
provided you with an estimate", the most conflicting
INCORRECT information in this letter was, the EXHIBIT
1
letter mentions November 1998, when it was November
1997
when COAKLEY was first in small claims court against
PACIFIC, the letter was dated February 1998 by Ms.
Danyel Spear a PACIFIC manager.
In March 1998, COAKLEY wrote a fax to PACIFIC, CEO, Ed
Whitacre to stop any small claims court appeal against
award given to COAKLEY. Days later, COAKLEY received
a
message from PACIFIC, Douglas Phason. COAKLEY returned
the call immediately and discussed COAKLEY's schedule
at
work and frequent time off meetings waiting for
PACIFIC
employees had been and was affecting COAKLEY's time at
work, and she would settle immediately the small
claims
case #1997009313; if PACIFIC installed a "ISDN
Computer
line, and previous business lines and paid expenses".
This would save COAKLEY's time and PACIFIC's time.
After APRIL 3, 1998; COAKLEY began a "new process"
with
PACIFIC employee, Douglas Phason. After APRIL 3,
1998;
all the same problems seen in 1996 seem to reappear
with
the installation of the new request for "ISDN
Computer"
line in 1998.
PLEASE NOTE: In 1996, COAKLEY was one of the first
phase
clients in Palo Alto to request a ISDN Computer line.
ISDN lines were difficult to get and there was a long
waiting period. Pacific had given away the ISDN line
number that had been assign to COAKLEY, even after
AT&T
called PACIFIC service to remove apparatus cabinet and
correctly install ISDN computer line.
After April 3, 1998, COAKLEY requested again through
PACIFIC Douglas Phason an ISDN line for a home
business
project that was under deadline, the COAKLEY ISDN home
equipment had already been purchased by COAKLEY
business
in 1996, but COAKLEY telephoned in1998 a NEW request
for
PACIFIC BELL to install (again) the much needed ISDN
line, which was offered by PACIFIC Douglas Phason with
a
deadline in October 1998/1999.
In the beginning of this NEW PACIFIC request which
started April 3rd 1998, COAKLEY had no complaints to
do
with BEHAVIOR, until later, in the years to follow.
COAKLEY has been waiting for an ISDN line from April
3,
1998 to December 15, 2000. Several missed
appointments,
PACIFIC employees jumping the COAKLEY roofs without
notice and jumping of fences in the years 1998/1999/
2000, after COAKLEY made several requests for 24 hour
notification of appointments by PACIFIC service people
to PACIFIC management and the Emerson neighbors.
In the year 2000, there were PACIFIC "DSL Computer"
lines installed for all the neighboring Emerson
residents free of charge by PACIFIC, but COAKLEY
needed
an ISDN Computer line hook up for computer laboratory
security which the equipment had already been
purchased.
UNTIL April 1998, I had not met or even knew of
PACIFIC
employees, Mr. Marc Besse and Mr. Leon Smallrey, I
have
since made agreements in handwriting with these
PACIFIC
employees, the neighbors and the property manager,
Steve
Klee ("KLEE") regarding the installation of "ISDN
lines
and re-installation of telephone lines to code".
PLEASE NOTE incorrect fact by PACIFIC in statements
and
in letters: KLEE is NOT the property owner at 1436
Emerson street, Palo Alto, CA; he was the property
manager. KLEE and the property owner of 1436 Emerson
street, Mrs. Judith Gibson had authorized COAKLEY to
be
the telephone liaison at the Emerson street properties
in question.
PLEASE NOTE incorrect fact by PACIFIC Answer Exhibit
letters: The Emerson properties mention are NOT
apartments, they are single family residential houses.
After April 1998, COAKLEY drew a mechanical drawing
specification and preliminary layout of telephone
lines
agreed upon and to be authorized by PACIFIC, before
installation of excessive mechanical requests were
constructed "so ISDN Computer lines could be
installed"
as requested by service people.
Promises made by PACIFIC employees since April 1, 1998
and their professional behavior are in debate and very
similar to the behavior of a 1998 confidential
statement
COAKLEY has signed.
Still to this day the PACIFIC installation request for
ISDN has not been filled. COAKLEY takes the CPUC
Formal
complaint seriously and found no results satisfactory
with PACIFIC. See the seven letters in regards to
attached COAKLEY's December 1, 2000; CPUC Formal
Complaint; letters all dated after April 1, 1998.
COAKLEY has made a previous statement about the usage
of the word "MOOT" and would like to see PACIFIC's
definition for the word moot, and believes this
statement is incorrect to this CPUC formal Complaint
as
per definition below from Webster's dictionary:
MOOT =
to propose for discussion: vi. to argue or plead on a
supposed case; n. a discussion on a supposed case;
adj..
subject or open for discussion or debate.
MOOT COURT =
a mock court in which law students try imaginary cases
for practice.
II. RESPONSE TO DEFENDANT'S SB960 REQUIREMENTS
At least PACIFIC and COAKLEY agree on "adjudicatory"
category for a pre-hearing. COAKLEY is requesting to
change proposed schedule, because the date of February
1, 2001 has pasted; COAKLEY is requesting a change in
the pre-hearing and formal hearing schedule to be
after
the 15th of September 2001 for family reasons and
business travel. COAKLEY is requesting a pre-hearing
and the formal hearing to be completed in September
2001
because there has been a death in the family and a
serious illness hampering my scheduling and
international air travel. I had scheduled both
hearings
for February 1, 2001, but that deadline has pasted.
The factual matter in dispute is still "NO ISDN
Computer
line at 1436 Emerson, unlawful entry without
notification or written notice after entry."
III. RESPONSE TO MATERIAL ALLEGATIONS
1. COAKLEY states that PACIFIC did not notify COAKLEY
very time service employees were going to arrive at
1436
Emerson street, PACIFIC did not send approval of
agreements that were made and requested be confirmed
in
writing by mail to P.O. Box 598, Palo Alto, CA 94302.
COAKLEY requested communication in writing "only
after"
PACIFIC employees refused promises made over the
telephone to COAKLEY, or to give full names over the
telephone, or their employee numbers for tracking
purposes, so COAKLEY requested only correspondence in
writing. COAKLEY used a cell telephone in over
abundance
to get information on the current PACIFIC/COAKLEY work
status for the installation of the ISDN computer line.
COAKLEY telephoned because her work schedule did not
always permit formal letter writing.
2. COAKLEY accepts that PACIFIC CEO, Ed Whitacre is
not
the defendant; but was told at the CPUC public
advisor's
desk that COAKLEY needed to address complaint to the
President of PACIFIC, so COAKLEY needed to go to
public
library to find this information out, and address it
so.
3. COAKLEY never had an ISDN computer line hook-up at
1436 Emerson street; after making several different
appeals to PACIFIC offices at 140 New Montgomery
street,
San Francisco, Ca 94106; Mountain View, California;
and
Oakland, California. There were break-ins to the 1436
Emerson property without notification, with proof of
PACIFIC employees entry.
If the statements COAKLEY made are unintelligible,
COAKLEY found PACIFIC employees' actions particularly
unbelievabley unprofessional, unnerving and very
risky,
but very much truly misleading. Even after several
COAKLEY/PACIFIC discussions and letters requesting
follow-up procedures to require a written notice of
the
presence of a PACIFIC employees at 1436 Emerson
street,
Palo Alto, CA, no notice was given.
4. COAKLEY's relief sought was for the benefit of the
State of California's "computer users/PACIFIC
Customers"
and the basic security of California residents. A
request to have the CPUC make it maditory for PACIFIC
employees to give their employee numbers over the
telephone for PUBLIC SERVICE RECORDS and as a tracking
device for PACIFIC management/customer to make
comments
regarding employees, leave calling card with
statements
that employees were on the premises has been a COAKLEY
suggestion, now Coakley would like to make it a
professional fact necessary for the safety of
residents
working with utilities.
Also have the CPUC make Pacific offenses easy to
access
and available as public records, if successful formal
complaint Complainant requests to be a part of the
public record, using the CPUC WEBsite as a search
tool.
(Comment for CPUC: Excellent CPUC website as of to
date,
but more documents needed on file!) Make it legal for
a
customer to video tape a PACIFIC technical person's
work
and comments they make during installation, commenting
as to whether their or previous work is to CPUC code.
_________________________________________________________________________
RESPONSE TO FIRST SEPARATE AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE
This is a NEW formal complaint made in December 2000
by
COAKLEY and very similar to an earlier settlement
made;
but very different in evidence.
COAKLEY is NOT barred to make comments on current
complaints and PACIFIC work after April 3, 1998.
RESPONSE TO SECOND SEPARATE AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE
No ISDN computer hook up line was ever installed at
1436
Emerson and should have been by request and promises
made by PACIFIC after April 1998.
RESPONSE TO THIRD SEPARATE AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE
PACIFIC did nothing for COAKLEY whom requested a ISDN
Computer line, in letters, in faxes, in telephone
calls,
in drawings.
RESPONSE TO FOURTH SEPARATE AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE
Failure to meet California's general code oder #95 (I
have no ISDN Computer line), poor service/missed
appointments and advertising to the public regarding
the
benefits of PACIFIC in keeping their appointments at
$500.00 for every missed appointment, bringing the
case
to the attention of CPUC a total award to be
determined
at the CPUC formal hearing, estimated at over $6,500.
COAKLEY has been injured in her home life and business
beyond comparison to anyone she knows. It would be
satisfaction for the public knowledge and the self
satisfaction that a single person with a PACIFIC
complaint can matter in the eyes of the CPUC, and be
heard in a open formal complaint hearing. Though
PACIFIC
has closed the COAKLEY vs PACIFIC CPUC hearing;
hopefully in two years from now, people will be aware
that PACIFIC employees can not jump fences and feel
justified, if they feel like it. Type of damages and
injuries made to COAKLEY will be address in a civil
court with a jury, COAKLEY is still facing
difficulties
because of PACIFIC.
RESPONSE TO FIFTH SEPARATE AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE
COAKLEY is not making false statements.
RESPONSE TO SIXTH SEPARATE AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE
COAKLEY made this plea to "not waste time with PACIFIC
in March 1998", when faxing PACIFIC CEO, Ed Whitacre
and
discussing her needs with PACIFIC's Douglas Phason.
RESPONSE TO SEVENTH SEPARATE AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE
COAKLEY does not want $6,500. in damages, from the
CPUC
formal hearing. COAKLEY wants the CPUC to know that
the
CPUC should "fine PACIFIC for their poor services,
payable to the Californians who are mislead".
RESPONSE TO EIGHTH SEPARATE AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE
COAKLEY statement states that PACIFIC required
employees
to perform job duties as follows, without care.
PACIFIC
employees did not act alone, they acted with
management's consent.
RESPONSE TO NINTH SEPARATE AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE
COAKLEY was still making a requested for ISDN Computer
Line in December 2000; two years from that date will
be
the Statute of Limitations.
SIGNATURE PAGE TO FOLLOW
_______________________________________________________________________
Dated on the Internet, Pacific Standard Time, this
23rd
day of February 2001 at 6:20pm.
Kathleen Coakley
By:
______________________________________________________
Kathleen Coakley
P.O. Box 598
Palo Alto, CA 94302
________________________________________________________________________
VERIFICATION
I am the complainant in the above-entitled matter;
the statements in the foregoing document are true of
my
knowledge, except as to matters which are therein
stated
on information and belief and as to those matters, I
believe them to be true.
I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing
is
true and correct.
Executed on February 23, 2001 on the internet.
___________________________________________________
Kathleen Coakley; Complainant
_______________________________________________________________________
Service List C00.00-12-003
Ms. Kathleen Coakley
P.O. Box 598
Palo Alto, CA 94302
ALJ Maribeth A. Bushey
California PUC
505 Van Ness Ave, Room 5018
San Francisco, CA 94102
Commr. Carl Wood
California PUC
505 Van Ness Ave, Room 5200
San Francisco, CA 94102
Michelle Galbraith
Pacific Bell Telephone Co
140 New Montgomery Street, Room 1519
San Francisco, CA 94105
__________________________________________________