Judge's Ruling Hits Water Utility, Rate Hikes Loom

0:00Less than a year ago, Circuit Court judge Fred Bowling stepped aside from a lawsuit involving the Birmingham Water Works Board after their lawyers. Raised concerns about his impartiality, the issue stemmed from a rocky past attorney client relationship between Bowling and the utility. Now, he's back in the mix, ruling against what used to be the water board, now called central Alabama water. That ruling hits hard, forcing the utility to shell out millions more than their freshly approved budget can cover. Customers could see rate hikes coming their way as a result. Lawyers for central Alabama water pointed to old emails showing tension, like one where they fired Bowling's firm and demanded documents in a final bill. They argued this history created too much risk of bias. Bowling fired back sharply in his response, telling the lawyer never to contact him again and calling out what he saw as shady tactics. This twist raises big questions about judicial fairness in ongoing water disputes, and we'll

1:00keep watching how it plays out for ratepayers down the line. That's the story for today. Birmingham News Today, Driven by AI.