“MLive reviewed two DTE agreements offering customers payments for damage claims where the utility had denied fault. Each required the customer to sign a release of claims and confidentiality agreement to accept.
“It does seem intended to silence people’s ability to talk about what they’re experiencing, to be able to share how they negotiated with the company,” said Liz Jacob, lead staff attorney with the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice in Detroit.
She represents low-income clients in conflicts with DTE and confirmed she’s observed the practice in disputes relating to both property damage and billing.”