Mayes calls for AZ Corporation Commission to investigate heat-related death of APS customer

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is calling on state utility regulators to investigate the death of an Arizona Public Service customer whose power had been disconnected. Heat was a factor in the 82-year-old woman’s death.

The Arizona Corporation Commission bars APS from shutting off customers’ power June through mid-October, to prevent heat-related deaths. But Katherine Korman died in May last year, during a week when temperatures were in the upper-90s and low-100s.

In a letter this week to the commission, Mayes points out springtime temperatures have been rising. And she said the need for air conditioning can be a matter of life or death.

There were 602 heat-related deaths in Maricopa County in 2024, according to Maricopa County Public Health. Of those, 23% occurred indoors. In most indoor heat death cases, air conditioning was present but not functioning. In 13 cases, there was no electricity.

Mayes, who formerly served on the commission, said the role of the elected utility regulators is to protect consumers.

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

Commissioners have said little about the case since it was first reported by 12 News last month. But in an exchange on X, Commissioner Nick Myers blamed Korman’s son for not looking out for his mother. Myers also wrote that additional utility shutoff rules are not necessary, and he questioned the existing guidelines.

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Woman died after APS shut off power. Commissioner says more rules aren't needed, blames her son

Katherine Davis-Young

After an 82-year-old APS customer died after her power was shut off, an Arizona Corporation commissioner says utilities should not have to do anything more to prevent heat-related deaths.

In her letter, Mayes called on commissioners to investigate Korman’s case and identify potential improvements to utility disconnection rules.

“I understand firsthand the difficult position that you all are in. It is no small thing to balance ratepayer and utility interests, to devise an implementable disconnection policy, and to mitigate unintended consequences of disconnection moratoriums, like ballooning ratepayer debt,” Mayes wrote.

But Mayes compared disconnecting customers’ electricity in hot weather to turning off a patient’s life support.

“Such a callous approach to ratepayers' health and safety is unnecessary,” Mayes said.

In a statement, Arizona Corporation Commission spokesperson Nicole Garcia said the commission had received inquiries from Korman's two sons. 

"The Commission Utilities Division is now looking into the disconnection procedures related to the May 2024 death of their mother, Kate Korman," the statement said.  "This is an ongoing disconnection inquiry, and the Commission is in the process of reviewing the events that led up to the termination of service, as we would for any inquiry initiated by a customer.  The Commission’s inquiry is limited to the disconnection of power, the Commission does not investigate deaths.”