SUN CITY WEST, AZ — State regulators have concluded that Arizona Public Service (APS) followed existing disconnection rules when it shut off power to 82-year-old Kate Korman’s home in May 2024 — days before she was found dead inside.
The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) stated this week that its investigation found no violations of utility termination rules by APS.
“Staff thoroughly evaluated the events that led up to the termination of service at Ms. Korman’s address and has verified that the utility followed the rules,” the commission said.
But Korman’s family is not satisfied.
“It demonstrates the failure of the rules,” said Jonathan Korman, one of her sons.
“Those rules killed my mother. They will kill again. So they are the wrong rules.”
Background on the Case
APS says Kate Korman hadn’t paid her electric bill since January 2024, despite being enrolled in autopay. After several failed contact attempts, the utility disconnected her power in mid-May — as temperatures hovered in the triple digits.
The medical examiner’s report listed complications of chronic ethanolism as her official cause of death, with “environmental heat stress” also noted as a contributing factor.
Jonathan and his brother Adam Korman say they were unaware she had missed any payments and believe she thought her bills were being paid automatically.
A Broader Debate Over Disconnection Policies
Arizona currently prohibits power shutoffs from June 1 to October 15 — a rule made permanent in 2022 after a similar case involving a 72-year-old woman in 2018. But Korman’s case, which occurred just weeks before the summer moratorium, has reignited the debate over whether disconnection rules should be temperature-based rather than calendar-based.
“Weather doesn’t obey the calendar,” Jonathan Korman said. “Why are we setting the rule according to the calendar instead of the weather, since the heat is what kills people?”
Attorney General Kris Mayes echoed those concerns, calling the current disconnection policy “unacceptable” and warning that more lives are at risk without reform.
“Functioning air conditioning is a matter of life or death in Arizona,” Mayes said.
“The longer the Commission delays updating its disconnection policy, the more likely it is that another Arizonan dies in their own home.”
She urged the ACC to make the full investigation public and announced that her office is still reviewing the case independently.
APS Responds
In a statement, APS said it fully cooperated with the investigation and conducted its own internal review.
“The well-being of our customers is a top priority,” APS said.
“We make numerous contact attempts, in excess of ACC requirements, and offer multiple assistance options to avoid disconnection.”
APS said it provides flexible payment plans, partial payment options, and access to aid programs for customers facing financial hardship.
What’s Next?
The Korman family says their fight isn’t over. They are now advocating for legislative reform that would force the ACC to revise its disconnection rules.
“I do not like doing this,” said Jonathan Korman, “but it needs to be done… I want to continue to fight to have the rules changed so that it keeps the next person alive.”
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