Five Years On, Winter Storm Uri's Legal Fallout Remains Unresolved in Texas

Hundreds of lawsuits filed by victims have yet to make it to trial as courts rule in favor of energy companies.

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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Five years after Winter Storm Uri devastated Texas, the legal fallout from the deadly storm has yet to be resolved. Hundreds of lawsuits filed by victims against energy companies have stalled, with courts ruling in favor of the companies and eliminating the rights of victims to have their day in court. Lawyers say the Texas courts, especially the state Supreme Court and the First Court of Appeals in Houston, have issued rulings that severely restrict the arguments plaintiffs can make, making it unlikely any of the cases will ever go to trial.

Why it matters

The Winter Storm Uri disaster exposed major vulnerabilities in Texas' energy infrastructure and the state's deregulated electricity market. The legal battles over who is responsible for the widespread power outages and resulting deaths and injuries have significant implications for the future resilience of the Texas grid and whether energy companies will be held accountable for their failures.

The details

The lawsuits claim the energy companies' corporate gross negligence, failure to winterize operations, and intentional decision-making caused the power failures that led to 246 deaths, including that of 84-year-old Lauralene Butler Jackson. However, the energy companies have successfully argued that the storm was so massive it could not have been prevented, and that deregulation eliminated their legal duty to customers. Courts have ruled in favor of the companies, eliminating plaintiffs' rights to trial and severely restricting their legal arguments.

  • Winter Storm Uri hit Texas in mid-February 2021.
  • The 31,600 related lawsuits were consolidated into a single multidistrict litigation in 2023.
  • In 2023, courts began rejecting elements of the cases brought by storm victims, starting with natural gas companies.
  • Also in 2023, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas is a government agency immune from civil lawsuits.
  • In December 2023, the First Court of Appeals in Houston ruled the lawsuits against large power generators had 'no basis in law or fact.'

The players

Lauralene Butler Jackson

An 84-year-old Arlington resident who died from hypothermia during Winter Storm Uri when her home lost power for days.

Oncor Electric Delivery

One of the energy companies sued by the Jackson family and other victims for damages related to the storm.

Vistra Corp.

One of the energy companies sued by the Jackson family and other victims for damages related to the storm.

NRG Energy

One of the energy companies sued by the Jackson family and other victims for damages related to the storm.

Calpine

One of the energy companies sued by the Jackson family and other victims for damages related to the storm.

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What they’re saying

“The only thing colder than the temperature during the Uri storm is the reception courts have given litigation arising from it.”

— Jeff Tillotson, Dallas trial lawyer

“It is a sad day for normal Texans that they are not being allowed to have their day in court. But maybe we should not be surprised that the Texas courts are protecting the energy companies. It is a pretty depressing situation for our clients.”

— Derek Potts, Houston lawyer

“Defendants' failures to plan and prepare caused cascading systems failures and widespread blackouts. Because of these failures, millions were forced to endure days-long blackouts in freezing cold weather. People died as a result. Millions more endured traumatic hardship short of death.”

— Ann Saucer, Partner, Nachawati Law Group

“Their negligent acts and omissions directly resulted in grid failure. Their acts extended far beyond mere breaches of contractual duties, rising to willful interruption of service which undermined the entire grid integrity and resulted in a public calamity that cannot be endured.”

— Eva Guzman, Former Texas Supreme Court Justice, representing insurance companies

“By immunizing these energy companies, the Texas Supreme Court is almost guaranteeing that this will happen again and again. It is incredibly disappointing that the Texans most victimized by the actions of these companies may never get to show a jury the evidence in this case.”

— Mikal Watts, Lawyer representing 6,000 storm victims

What’s next

The Jackson family's case against Oncor and other transmission and distribution utilities is back before the judge handling the consolidated litigation, but lawyers for the energy companies say they plan to file another appeal, which could add another two years to the legal battle before any trials could start.

The takeaway

The legal fallout from Winter Storm Uri highlights the challenges victims face in holding powerful energy companies accountable in Texas, even in the face of clear evidence of corporate negligence. The rulings by the state's courts have severely limited the ability of storm victims to seek justice, raising concerns that the lack of accountability could lead to similar disasters in the future.