Man claims judge assigned to his PWSA overbilling case had conflict of interest

PITTSBURGH — A man is disputing the ruling reached in his bill dispute case with the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, claiming the judge who head his case had a conflict of interest.

In court documents filed this week, Adam Rosenberg stated Judge Judith Friedman should not have heard his case because her husband went to court in 2010 to dispute a $20,000 water bill for a rental home he owns in Squirrel Hill.

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According to the court documents, the exoneration board refused to reduce Edward Friedman’s bill after he blamed the overbilling on a faulty meter and keeling pipe.

Edward Friedman appealed and the case went before Judge Stanton Wettick at which point the PWSA agreed to reduce his bill from $20,318.78 to $17.44.

“She should have at least told us that she had that kind of experience because there's a code where it says if there's any potential or even thought of impropriety, a judge at least allows us to say that and that would have given us an opportunity to say, ‘We'd like a recusal or you to step down, so we ensure that we get a fair hearing.’ And it really sucked my hopes because I feel like we got bilked again,” Rosenberg said.

Rosenberg’s case was similar to Edward Friedman’s.

Rosenberg said he received high bills even though his water meter and electronic transmitter didn’t work.

The PWSA agreed to cut Rosenberg’s bill in half, but he appealed the case and went before Judith Friedman.

She agreed with the PWSA to charge Rosenberg the minimum usage fee, which cut his $1,047.25 bill to $380.76, but Rosenberg has again appealed, arguing that he rarely stays in the home. He said the bill should be zeroed out.

Rosenberg also claimed the judge refused to allow statement from the PWSA in which the agency admitted that the meters didn’t work.

“Our inability to have discovery - she thwarted that with not hearing out motions, or allowing any evidence on our part other than the bills that I had in my possession,” Rosenberg said.

Judith Friedman’s secretary told Channel 11 News Thursday that she could not talk about a pending case.

Meanwhile, Edward Friedman told Channel 11 News that the case involving his water bill happened six years ago and had nothing to do with his wife. He said the PWSA, not a judge, agreed to reduce his bill because the overbilling was the agency’s fault.

A PWSA spokesman refused to comment, citing the pending litigation in Rosenberg’s case.

“I would certainly hope that the order gets vacated. I would like to be exonerated. I think that's the only fair thing since we obviously didn't receive a fair shake,” Rosenberg said.

Judith Friedman issued a ruling, stating that she will not step down from Rosenberg’s case.

Rosenberg said he’s now considering his next move.

Cox Media Group