By AP
Frankfort, KY – A judge in Frankfort has upheld the constitutionality of Kentucky's law against price gouging. The ruling by Franklin Circuit Court Judge Thomas Wingate Monday allows a lawsuit by Attorney General Jack Conway against Marathon Petroleum Company LLC to continue.
Marathon Petroleum and its subsidiary Speedway SuperAmerica LLC, both divisions of Marathon Oil Corporation, challenged the statute after the suit was filed in May 2007. Conway alleged the company jacked up wholesale and retail prices of gasoline during declared states of emergency during hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The attorney general is seeking $89 million in damages plus penalties against the companies.