Southwestern Bell sues over Cypress work

Southwestern Bell is suing over damaged underground facilities.

Southwestern Bell Telephone filed a lawsuit on Dec. 9 in the Harris County District Court against Clearwater Utilities and SM & P Utility Resources Inc., alleging negligence, trespass and breach of contract.

The plaintiff says that when the defendant, Clearwater Utilities, was excavating an area near 14135 Mueschke in Cypress, it contracted with SM & P Utility Resources Inc. to locate and mark its underground facilities. According to the brief, either SM & P Utility Resources failed to properly locate and mark Southwestern Bell’s underground facilities or Clearwater Utilities made mistakes while excavating, because some of Southwestern Bell’s underground facilities were damaged during the project.

Southwestern Bell is seeking actual, incidental and consequential damages, as well as attorney’s fees and court costs. It is being represented in the case by Houston attorney Debra Hovnatanian.

Harris County District Court Case No. 2010-80558.    

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at the Harris County Courthouse. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.