HARTFORD, CTโฃ – A cease and desist letterโ sent by โPURA โgeneral counsel Maura Muska to โcolleagues โaccusesโฃ them of defamation, escalating a controversy alreadyโค under investigationโค by the Connecticutโ Attorney General’s office. the โletter, revealed during a deposition this week, alleges misconduct by PURA โstaff and comes amid ongoingโข legal โbattles with utility companies and scrutiny over transparency within the agency.
The allegations inโ Muska’s letter center around โclaims made โฃabout herโ conduct during investigations intoโข utility rate hikes and the handling of public data โrequests. Commissioner Caron โrevealedโค the existence of the letter โduring aโ deposition onโฃ Wednesday in a lawsuit brought by Eversource and Avangrid against PURA, alleging โthat former PURA chair โขMarissa Gillett overstepped her authority.
The Attorney General’s office confirmed on Oct. 31 it โฃhad hired the lawโ firm Shipman &โ Goodwin, under โคaโ $270,000-a-year retainer, to investigate allegations of misconduct atโฃ PURA, โขincluding โcompliance with Freedom of Informationโ Act requests and court-ordered discovery.This investigation was launched โafter the Hartford Courant โreported onโ the โขmatter. A spokesperson for theโฃ attorney general’sโ office โdeclined โfurther commentโ Friday.
The dispute with Eversourceโค and Avangrid stems from PURA’s denialโ ofโ natural gas rate increases sought byโฃ Avangrid-owned gasโค companies. The utility companies allege Gillett improperly influenced theโ decisionโ and evenโข helped write an opinion โคpiece critical of โthem,allegations Gillett has denied.โฃ Judge Matthew Budzik is currently investigating whether PURA attorneys, including Muska, โฃwithheldโฃ information regarding Gillett’sโ communications and auto-delete settings on her phone. A hearing in this case is scheduled for Nov. 12.
Shipman โ& โขGoodwin previously โคconducted an investigation forโ theโ state โlast year into the misuse ofโ state vehicles by staffers in the governor’sโ office.PURA is currently represented by the attorney โgeneral’s office inโ both active lawsuitsโฃ brought โคbyโ the utility โcompanies. โขNeither Muska nor a spokesperson for PURA responded to requests for comment. Attemptsโค to reach Gaudiosiโข for comment were unsuccessful.