Texas Settles Hurricane Harvey Price Gouging Suits

AUSTIN, TX — A pair of lawsuits against two Texas gas stations accused of price gouging during Hurricane Harvey two years ago have been settled, the state attorney general said on Tuesday.

In addition to the settled litigation, the AG's office also secured so-called Assurances of Voluntary Compliance with four other gas stations in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

Under separate agreements, Encinal Fuel LLC and Lafayette C-Store will each pay $17,500 in civil restitution to refund Texans who were charged up to $9.99 a gallon for gas from August 31-September 3, 2017, according to the attorney general's office. The two gas stations in question are:

• Encinal Fuel, 28442 South Interstate 325, Encinal, Texas.
• Tejano Mart 505, 502 Lafayette St., Laredo, Texas.

Four gas stations also signed agreements promising to reimburse consumers who were charged $3.99 or more per gallon of gas during Harvey:

• Rush 24/7, 2410 S.Hampton Rd., Dallas, Texas.
• Hans Texaco, 12920 Preston Rd., Dallas, TX 75230.
• Hans Chevron, 2590 E. Arkansas Lane, Arlington, Texas.
• B Z Star, Inc., 3020 Big Town Blvd., Mesquite, Texas.

Texas consumers who believe they were victims of price gouging should submit a claim form with Attorney General Paxton’s Consumer Protection Division. Claim forms will be accepted for Encinal Fuel, Tejano Mart, Hans Chevron, Hans Texaco and B Z Star through June 30, 2019, while the deadline for Rush 24/7 claim forms is July 31, 2019.

“These latest settlements make things right for Texans who were charged excessive or exorbitant amounts for fuel during Hurricane Harvey,” Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a prepared statement. “The settlements also reinforce the message that my office will not tolerate price gouging of Texans by anyone looking to profit off disasters.”

To date, the Consumer Protection Division has finalized 61 Hurricane Harvey-related price gouging settlements totaling $307,801 with gasoline stations across Texas, Paxton noted.

As Hurricane Harvey was approaching the Texas coast in 2017, Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster activating a provision of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act that makes price gouging on necessities — such as drinking water, food and gasoline — illegal, Paxton explained. In the wake of the hurricane, the attorney general said his office received numerous complaints about inflated prices at gasoline pumps. He added that many Texans emailed photos and receipts as evidence, and additional investigations are ongoing.

Texans who believe they’ve been scammed or price gouged by any business should call the attorney general’s Consumer Protection Hotline toll-free at (800) 621-0508, email consumeremergency@oag.texas.gov, or file a complaint online at https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cpd/file-a-consumer-complaint.

Additional information

View a copy of the final settlement with Encinal Fuel here.

View a copy of the final settlement with Tejano Mart here.

View a copy of the Assurance of Voluntary Compliance with Rush 24/7 here.

View a copy of the Assurance of Voluntary Compliance with Hans Texaco 24/7 here.

View a copy of the Assurance of Voluntary Compliance with Hans Chevron here.

View a copy of the Assurance of Voluntary Compliance with B Z Star, Inc. here.