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“If they obeyed the rules that killed my mother then the rules are wrong. That’s not the end, that’s the beginning,”

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“Staff thoroughly evaluated the events that led up to the termination of service at Ms. Korman’s address and has verified that the utility followed the rules for termination of service.”

[⋯]

“Those rules killed my mother. They will kill again. So they are the wrong rules.”

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The ABC15 Investigators reviewed hundreds of death records and found at least 50 cases that raise serious questions, including whether heat is being dismissed as a cause of death too often.

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Well, the fact that it took a whole year for APS to review only tells me that there may be many other cases that we still don’t know. We know about this one because someone decided to report it, and the public made a big deal out of it. But imagine: A year went by. Who knows how many more have died that we just don’t know about?

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Attorney General Mayes says:

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I’m calling for the commission to change its disconnection policies from a date-based policy to a heat or temperature-based policy, both on the cold side and on the heat side

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We agree.

Attorney General Mayes says:

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The only thing that would be adequate is a very full, rigorous investigation of what happened. It also needs to be public, and it needs to be in the form of a hearing.

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We agree.

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If you’re going to cut power to somebody’s home on a 95-degree day — transforming the place into a possible death trap — perhaps you could actually knock on the door first and talk to the person. Especially when you know that person is elderly and, quite possibly, alone.

Better yet, how about a new regulation that says you can’t disconnect somebody on a 95-degree day?

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[Attorney General] Mayes also is demanding the commission review its rules for disconnecting residents, but the commission’s statement did not address the AG’s demands. The commission’s statement said its inquiry is limited to the disconnection of power.

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“Ms. Korman may still be alive if APS had stopped disconnections just three days earlier,” Mayes said in the letter.

In 2024, Maricopa County had 138 people die indoors due to heat-related reasons and nearly 70% of those were cases that had air conditioning present but not on or functioning within the home.

She also said the Corporation Commission hasn’t done much to look into Korman’s death and hasn’t talked to her family about the disconnection.

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“Arizona Corporation Commissioner Nick Myers' callous public comments showed literally deadly refusal of institutional responsibility,” Jonathan Korman said to 12News in a statement. “The Attorney General's investigation gives me hope that uncovering the policies, processes, and decisions which killed my mother will compel change which saves lives.”

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“The apparent lack of action by this commission regarding Ms. Korman's death is notable,” [Attorney General] Mayes wrote.

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“Notable” is a gentle word for it, yes.

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“I understand the difficult position that you are all in,” Mayes said in a May 6 letter to the commission she once chaired. “It is no small thing to balance ratepayer and utility interests … .”

Actually, it shouldn’t be a difficult position at all.

Not. At. All.

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An editorial saying that “we” have to keep people alive … but APS don’t.

I disagree. APS literally had the power to keep my mother alive.

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“That released something in him where he felt a need to fault my mother for her own death, to say a bunch of things that were not true,” said Jonathan Korman

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The exchange drew widespread backlash, with many accusing Myers of victim-blaming and failing to take responsibility for regulatory shortcomings.

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“Will Mr. Myers carry the utilities’ water? Absolutely. He’s made it clear with his past actions,” [former ACC Commissioner Sandra] Kennedy said.

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“This is what they do. This is why no one should take what a multibillion-dollar utility monopoly says at face value, because they lie and obfuscate,” [heat activist Stacey] Champion told New Times

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“If her power had not been cut during 100º weather, she would not have died when and how she did,” Adam [Korman] wrote in a text. “I think in my exchange on X with Nick Myers, his words speak volumes about his character and interests. Instead of using his position of power to help prevent future heat-related deaths, he’s more invested in attacking a grieving family.”

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“It is clear that APS do not care to take care with the lives in their trust,” said Jonathan [Korman]. “It is clear that their entire process is broken because it does not protect people.”

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The story goes international as the Mail pick up the original 12News & Arizona Family stories