Drummond announces results of RFP process for potential Uri litigation
OKLAHOMA CITY (Aug. 8, 2023) – Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced today that Oklahoma City law firm Foshee & Yaffe has been selected to represent the State of Oklahoma in possible legal action related to potential market manipulation and illegal conduct that gouged consumers of billions of dollars during Winter Storm Uri. The firm was selected after Drummond ordered the first-of-its-kind Request for Proposal (RFP) process conducted by the Office of the Attorney General.
“I was greatly impressed by the firm’s extensive experience and their demonstrated abilities to win favorable judgments on behalf of government clients,” Drummond said. “I look forward to working with them to hold accountable any bad actors and fight for Oklahoma ratepayers.”
Alex Yaffe said the law firm is ready to get to work.
“In response to Attorney General Drummond’s Request for Proposal, we have assembled a world-class team to take on this case,” he said. “We are pleased the Attorney General chose an Oklahoma legal team to solve Oklahoma’s problems. We are both humbled and excited to work alongside General Drummond to recover everything owed to Oklahomans because of the bad acts of these out of state, and mostly foreign, bad actors.”
Drummond noted that three firms responded to the request for proposals. In addition to the submission from Foshee & Yaffe, Ballard Spahr of Philadelphia and Paul LLP of Kansas City, Mo., also submitted proposals.
“These are three strong and impressive firms, and I appreciate the hard work that went into their proposals,” Drummond said. “I will continue insisting on an open and transparent process for any contingency fee matter.”
Drummond issued his RFP on the day he announced potential litigation was on the table to address potential market manipulation related to Winter Storm Uri. In a July news conference, Drummond said a review of conduct during the February 2021 winter storm revealed that several entities reaped billions of dollars in profits by manipulating the price of natural gas. He noted that neither Oklahoma’s oil and gas industry nor utility companies were responsible for the scheme. Drummond said at the time that he had retained outside counsel to assist in his review. That outside counsel was Foshee & Yaffe, and Drummond said he is grateful for their work.
The ice, snow and record-breaking cold of Uri had a devastating impact across Oklahoma. Before it eventually exited the continental United States, the storm was responsible for hundreds of deaths and more than $200 billion in damages.