CleanChoice Energy Price Gouging Lawsuit, Were You Overcharged on Your Electric Bill? Ware v. CleanChoice Energy, Inc., No. 1:25-cv-13623

CleanChoice Energy, Inc., which serves over 200,000 customers nationwide, is facing multiple class action lawsuits alleging it vastly overcharged households for electricity and misleadingly marketed its power as coming from local solar and wind farms. The Massachusetts case — Ware v. CleanChoice Energy, Inc., No. 1:25-cv-13623 — is pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. A separate Illinois action, Case No. 1:26-cv-03967, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in April 2026. If you ever paid an electric bill to CleanChoice, this may affect you directly.

CleanChoice Energy Price Gouging Lawsuits — Key Facts

Field	Detail
Lawsuit Filed (Massachusetts)	December 2025
Lawsuit Filed (Illinois)	April 9, 2026
Defendant	CleanChoice Energy, Inc.
Alleged Harm	Price gouging — variable rates 2–4x higher than the local utility; false green energy marketing
Specific Laws Alleged	Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act (Ch. 93A); Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act; breach of contract; unjust enrichment
Who Is Affected	Massachusetts and Illinois residential electricity customers on variable rate plans
Court & Case Numbers	D. Mass., No. 1:25-cv-13623 / N.D. Ill., No. 1:26-cv-03967
Current Court Stage	Active litigation — class certification pending
Lead Plaintiff Deadline	TBD — no deadline announced yet by either court
Settlement Status	No settlement reached — active lawsuit only
Law Firms Involved	Finkelstein Blankinship Frei-Pearson & Garber; Wittels McInturff Palikovic
Last Updated	June 1, 2026

Who Is CleanChoice Energy and Why Are They Being Sued for Price Gouging?

CleanChoice Energy is an independent retail electricity supplier operating in Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. The company markets itself as a “100% renewable energy” alternative to the standard local utility, targeting environmentally conscious households who want cleaner power. That green pitch is now at the center of two federal class action lawsuits accusing the company of charging families two to four times what their local utility would have charged — for the exact same electricity.

What Did CleanChoice Energy Charge Its Customers Between 2019 and 2026?

Here is what the lawsuits say happened. CleanChoice signs customers up — often with promises of clean, locally sourced renewable energy — and then moves them onto a variable rate plan. After an introductory period, CleanChoice represents that its variable rates will be based on market conditions. According to the court filings, the rates CleanChoice actually charged were significantly higher than what the local utility charges, with customers paying two, three, or even four times the utility rate.

The lawsuit alleges the real driver behind CleanChoice’s variable rates is not market conditions or energy supply costs — it is “unbridled price gouging and profiteering.” One plaintiff was reportedly charged a rate in 2023 that was 5.8 times higher than CleanChoice’s actual market supply costs that month, which the complaint describes as a markup exceeding 400%.

The lawsuits also challenge CleanChoice’s claim that its electricity comes from local solar and wind farms. In reality, CleanChoice customers receive the same standard grid electricity as everyone else — what the filings call “brown” electricity. CleanChoice purchases renewable energy credits on the back end to claim the label of “green” energy, but that does not change the electricity actually flowing into customers’ homes. For more on how deceptive advertising and consumer fraud class actions like this one work, see our coverage of the Menards rebate deception case and how 10 states pursued similar misleading pricing claims.

E&E News reported in December 2025 that the Massachusetts case drew attention from tens of thousands of affected customers statewide, with lead attorney D. Greg Blankinship stating publicly that no energy company should charge double or triple the utility rate while promising market-based prices.

The broader picture is significant. Between July 2023 and June 2024, Massachusetts customers enrolled with third-party electricity suppliers overpaid collectively by $73 million compared to what they would have paid on the standard utility rate, according to a 2025 report from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office. For context on how similar consumer fraud class actions unfold over time, read our breakdown of how the Ticketmaster price inflation class action proceeded from filing through federal court certification.

The Illinois complaint goes further. That filing alleges CleanChoice’s variable rates were among the highest offered by alternative retail energy suppliers in Illinois, and that its pricing bore no reasonable relationship to its actual costs — including the cost of renewable energy certificates, which the suit describes as minimal, and transmission or tax costs, which it describes as relatively insignificant and not prone to fluctuation.

If you paid electricity bills to CleanChoice in Massachusetts or Illinois, this case may directly affect you.

Related article: Meta, TikTok, Snap, and YouTube Settle School Social Media Addiction Lawsuit Were Your Kids Affected? Breathitt County Board of Education v. Meta Platforms Inc., et al., No. 4:23-cv-01804

Are You Part of the CleanChoice Energy Price Gouging Class Action?

Here is how to tell if you are included in either of these lawsuits.

You are likely covered if:

• You were a CleanChoice Energy residential electricity customer in Massachusetts or Illinois at any point while on a variable rate plan
• Your monthly electricity bill from CleanChoice was noticeably higher than what your local utility (such as Eversource in Massachusetts or ComEd in Illinois) charged during the same period
• CleanChoice moved you from an introductory fixed rate to a variable rate without clearly disclosing how that rate would be calculated
• You signed up believing CleanChoice would source your electricity from local wind or solar farms

You likely do not qualify if:

• You were always on a fixed-rate plan and your rate never changed unexpectedly
• You were a commercial or business customer (the current suits focus on residential customers)
• You are located in a state other than Massachusetts or Illinois — though customers in those states should monitor whether the litigation expands

CleanChoice Energy Customers Outside Massachusetts and Illinois — Are You Still Covered?

CleanChoice operates in Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. The current class actions specifically name Massachusetts and Illinois customers. Residents in other states are not covered by these two cases as filed today. However, similar complaints and regulatory actions have been raised about CleanChoice in other states, and additional lawsuits are possible. If you are in another state and believe you were overcharged, speaking with a consumer rights lawyer about your options is worth doing now — not later.

If you are unsure whether your CleanChoice billing history puts you inside the class, a free consultation with a consumer rights attorney can help you assess your situation before any deadlines are set by the court.

What Are CleanChoice Energy Customers Asking the Court to Award?

No money is available yet. No claim form exists. But the lawsuits do spell out what plaintiffs want.

Plaintiffs seek damages, restitution, statutory penalties, and declaratory and injunctive relief for CleanChoice’s alleged breach of contract, breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing, and violation of the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act. The Illinois case makes similar demands under that state’s consumer fraud statute.

What Could CleanChoice Energy Customers Receive If Either Case Settles?

That is impossible to predict at this stage. What matters right now is that you fit inside the class definition and that you document your billing history. The amount any individual recovers depends on how many customers join the class, the strength of the evidence, and what the parties eventually negotiate — assuming a settlement is ever reached. Right now, this is litigation. A class action attorney can give you a realistic read on what outcomes look like in similar consumer fraud energy cases.

What Should CleanChoice Energy Customers in Massachusetts and Illinois Do Right Now?

You do not need to file anything today. Most class members are automatically included once the court certifies the class — you do not need to take immediate legal action. That said, what you do now can make a real difference later.

1. Pull your CleanChoice billing statements going back as far as you have them — especially any months where your bill seemed unusually high. These are your evidence.
2. Compare your CleanChoice rate against Eversource (Massachusetts) or ComEd (Illinois) for the same billing periods. If CleanChoice’s rate was two or three times higher, write that down with the dates.
3. Save any enrollment documents or welcome emails from CleanChoice — anything that shows what rates or energy sources they promised you when you signed up.
4. Track how your rate changed over time. If you started on a low introductory rate and then saw it climb sharply, document when that change happened.
5. Monitor the docket. The Massachusetts case is filed at the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts under Case No. 1:25-cv-13623. You can track it at PACER (pacer.gov). The Illinois case is No. 1:26-cv-03967 in the Northern District of Illinois.
6. Consider a lead plaintiff role only if your losses were significant. The lead plaintiff deadline has not been announced in either case yet. If you paid substantially more than the utility rate over a long period and want a more active role, contact one of the law firms now: Finkelstein Blankinship Frei-Pearson & Garber or Wittels McInturff Palikovic.

CleanChoice Energy Price Gouging Lawsuit — Timeline

Milestone	Date
CleanChoice begins serving Massachusetts customers	~2019 (based on Sommer complaint)
Plaintiff Mark Sommer signs up with CleanChoice	September 2019
Sommer cancels CleanChoice account	March 2023
Sommer v. CleanChoice Energy, No. 1:24-cv-11844, filed (Massachusetts)	July 2024
Massachusetts federal court dismisses contract claim; deception claim proceeds	September 10, 2025
Ware v. CleanChoice Energy, No. 1:25-cv-13623, filed in Boston federal court	December 2025
Boston Globe and E&E News cover the Ware filing	December–January 2026
Illinois class action, No. 1:26-cv-03967, filed in Northern District of Illinois	April 9, 2026
Class certification ruling	TBD — motion not yet filed
Expected resolution	TBD — active litigation at early stage

CleanChoice Energy Price Gouging Lawsuit — Frequently Asked Questions, No. 1:25-cv-13623

Is there a class action lawsuit against CleanChoice Energy for price gouging right now?

Yes. Ware v. CleanChoice Energy, Inc., No. 1:25-cv-13623, is active in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. A separate suit accusing CleanChoice of fleecing tens of thousands of Illinois electricity customers through deceptive rate promises is active in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Both are at the early stage — no settlement has been reached.

Do CleanChoice Energy customers need to do anything right now to be part of the lawsuit?

No immediate action is required. Most residential customers are automatically included in the class once the court certifies it. What you should do now is gather your billing statements and document any months where your CleanChoice rate was significantly higher than what Eversource or ComEd charged.

When will the CleanChoice Energy price gouging case settle?

There is no way to predict that. Both cases were filed in late 2025 and early 2026. Class certification has not been granted yet. Settlements in consumer energy cases can take years. Stay patient, preserve your documents, and monitor court filings.

Can I file my own individual lawsuit against CleanChoice Energy instead of joining the class action?

Yes, you can in theory. But individual cases against energy companies are expensive and complex. For most people, the class action is the more practical path. If your losses were unusually large, consult a consumer rights lawyer about whether an individual claim makes more sense for your situation.

What specific laws does CleanChoice Energy allegedly violate?

The Massachusetts case alleges violations of the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act (Chapter 93A), breach of contract, breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing, and unjust enrichment. The Illinois case was filed April 9, 2026 and invokes the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.

How much could CleanChoice Energy customers receive from a future settlement?

No money is available yet and no amount has been confirmed. What the complaints show is that some customers were charged rates far above what the utility charged for the same electricity during the same period. Individual recoveries in consumer energy class actions depend on documented overcharges, number of class members, and what terms the parties negotiate. Speak with a consumer rights attorney for a realistic estimate based on your own billing history.

What does “lead plaintiff” mean and why does the deadline matter?

The lead plaintiff is the person who represents all class members in court — they work closely with the lawyers and have more responsibility than a typical class member. Courts set a deadline for applying for that role. Neither case has announced a lead plaintiff deadline yet, but once set, it passes quickly. If you had CleanChoice as your electricity supplier for an extended period and paid significantly more than the utility rate, it is worth asking the law firms whether that role is right for you.

How will CleanChoice Energy customers find out if either lawsuit settles?

The court will mail a class notice to all known class members once a settlement is proposed and the court approves the notice program. Keep your mailing address current with any accounts linked to your CleanChoice billing period. You can also monitor the docket at PACER under the case numbers above, or check back here — this article will be updated as the cases develop.

Sources Used in This CleanChoice Energy Price Gouging Article

• Globe Newswire — WMP Law and FBFG: CleanChoice Energy Sued in Massachusetts Class Action for Overcharging Customers, December 10, 2025: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/12/10/3203243/0/en/WMP-Law-and-FBFG-CleanChoice-Energy-Sued-in-Massachusetts-Class-Action-for-Overcharging-Customers.html

Prepared by the AllAboutLawyer.com Editorial Team and reviewed for factual accuracy against official court records, Globe Newswire, Bloomberg Law, and E&E News on June 1, 2026. Last Updated: June 1, 2026.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws vary by state and individual circumstances differ. For advice about your specific situation, consult a qualified attorney.